2 MLAs Asked to File Pleas
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners informed the court that despite being directed on three previous occasions to submit their counters, the respondent MLAs had failed to do so.
Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court on Thursday granted a final opportunity to MLAs Danam Nagender, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy and others to file their counters in petitions related to their alleged defection from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the ruling Congress.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin was hearing petitions filed by BRS legislators challenging the Speaker’s decision to dismiss pleas seeking the disqualification of MLAs who were elected on BRS tickets in the 2023 Assembly elections.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners informed the court that despite being directed on three previous occasions to submit their counters, the respondent MLAs had failed to do so. Counsel argued that the alleged defected MLAs had been repeatedly seeking extensions and expressed concern that the delays could continue in future proceedings.
Taking note of the submissions, the bench observed that sufficient opportunities had been provided to the respondents. The court nevertheless granted a final extension of two weeks to Nagender and Krishna Mohan Reddy to file their counters. The petitioners were also given an additional week thereafter to submit their replies.
The bench directed all parties to file their written submissions within three weeks without fail. It also observed that all 10 related matters should, for the time being, be listed together, while indicating that hearings could later be taken up chronologically in individual cases.
Additionally, the court instructed counsel representing the Assembly Speaker to keep all original records related to the petitions ready for examination. The matter was adjourned to July 22.