SC issues fresh notice to Telangana Speaker over BRS MLAs disqualification issue

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has once again issued a notice to Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar in the ongoing MLA defection case.

A total of 10 party MLAs had crossed over to Congress after their victory on BRS tickets in the 2023 assembly election without resigning as legislators.

Earlier this month, the apex court heard the matter and pulled up the Telangana Speaker in deciding the petitions for disqualification of BRS MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress.

“What is the right time to decide on a disqualification notice? Should it happen at the fag end of the Speaker's tenure? What about democratic norms?” Supreme Court Justice BR Gavai asked.

Seeking responses of the state government, Speaker's Office, Telangana legislative assembly secretary, Election Commission of India and the defected lawmakers, the Supreme Court bench had posted the matter for hearing on March 25, 2025.

Responding to the apex court’s notice, the ‘defectors’ Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy informed the court that he continues to remain with the BRS. In his affidavit submitted to the court, Reddy claimed that a section of the media misreported his meeting with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to secure funds for his constituency.

In February, the opposition BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) party had filed two separate petitions in the apex court, seeking directions for action against 10 MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress.

Earlier, BRS working president KT Rama Rao had filed a writ petition in the apex court seeking disqualification of seven MLAs. Subsequently, BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy moved the apex court over the delay by the assembly speaker in deciding the fate of three other MLAs who have defected to the ruling Congress party.

The details of the defected MLAs are: Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), Kadiyam Srihari (Ghanpur), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadradri Kothagudem), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), T. Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), M. Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru) and Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally).