HC Begins Hearing on BRS MLAs’ Disqualification Pleas
The hearing was adjourned to Thursday, August 13.
Hyderabad:The Telangana High Court on Wednesday commenced hearing a batch of petitions filed by BRS MLAs and BJP legislator Alleti Maheshwar Reddy challenging the Speaker’s decisions on disqualification pleas against alleged BRS defectors under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Senior counsel Kondam Vivek Reddy, appearing for Maheshwar Reddy, argued that the Speaker erred in dismissing the plea seeking disqualification of MLA Danam Nagender, elected on a BRS ticket but later contesting the Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate. He contended that contesting elections on another party’s ticket does not amount to “voluntarily giving up membership” under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule.
The counsel also objected to the Speaker’s reasoning that joining the ruling party did not affect stability, and that only “in‑house” conduct could be considered. He stressed that the Anti‑Defection Law was designed to prevent legislators from abandoning the party on whose mandate they were elected.
Senior counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, representing Padi Kaushik Reddy and others, alleged prejudice and delay by the Speaker, noting that notices were issued only after Supreme Court intervention. He said video footage had been produced before the Speaker in some petitions, played in his presence, with responses recorded. He requested the High Court to summon the same material.
The hearing was adjourned to Thursday, August 13.
