Telangana Speaker junks disqualification petitions against 5 BRS MLAs who ‘defected’

The order, which dismissed the petitions, said that the Speaker made the decision “upon examination of the petitions, consideration of the material placed on record, and after strictly adhering to the principles of natural justice by granting adequate opportunity of hearing to all concerned parties”.

Reacting to the Speaker’s order, BRS working president KT Rama Rao told PTI, “It is a cruel joke in democracy. He (Speaker) seems to be acting because, as the Chief Minister himself, on the floor of the Assembly said, nothing will happen to the MLAs who have defected. The Speaker is also obeying his directions and dictums. We will challenge the decision in the court of law. We hope justice will be delivered.”

The BRS will challenge in court the order of Telangana Assembly Speaker dismissing the petitions for the disqualification of five BRS MLAs.

The other five BRS MLAs who have been accused of switching sides to the Congress were Danam Nagender (Khairatabad constituency), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), M Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial) and Kale Yadaiah (Chevella).

After the BRS approached the Supreme Court in the disqualification case, the top court had asked the Telangana Speaker to decide on the petitions within three months starting July 31. The hearings in the case began on September 29 with Prakash Goud, Yadaiah, Gudem Mahipal Reddy and Krishna Mohan Reddy presenting their case in the first batch, followed by the rest in the second batch. Two MLAs, Danam Nagendar and Kadiyam Srihari, were issued notices several times in November after they failed to respond to earlier notices.

The Speaker ruled on the disqualification petitions after the Supreme Court served a contempt notice on him on November 17 for not taking a call on the pleas. The hearings concluded on November 20.