In a significant political development, Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed a set of disqualification petitions filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) against five of its legislators. The petitions accused the MLAs of switching loyalty to the ruling Congress party after it came to power in December 2023.
Speaker's Ruling and BRS's Reaction
The speaker declared that he found no substantive material to establish that the five legislators violated the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The ruling was delivered in the speaker's chamber in the presence of both the petitioners and the respondent MLAs.
Reacting swiftly, the BRS announced its intention to challenge the speaker's decision in the Telangana High Court. BRS working president KT Rama Rao strongly criticised the ruling, calling it "a clear case of double standards." He specifically targeted Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Congress party for allegedly protecting the MLAs even after they had publicly admitted to defecting "in the name of development." Rao accused them of showing little respect for the Constitution and the judiciary.
The MLAs Involved and the Speaker's Process
The dismissal pertains to petitions against Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), T Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), and Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally). These were part of a larger batch of petitions against ten MLAs filed by BRS legislators last year.
In an official bulletin, the assembly secretary stated that the speaker arrived at his decision after a thorough examination of the petitions, consideration of all material on record, and by strictly adhering to the principles of natural justice. Adequate opportunity was granted to all concerned parties during the hearings, which began in September and concluded last month.
Legal Backdrop and Pending Decisions
The speaker's ruling came just a day before the expiry of a four-week deadline set by the Supreme Court. The apex court had previously pulled up Speaker Prasad Kumar for delays in issuing notices to the MLAs. In a landmark judgment on July 31 in the Padi Kaushik Reddy vs State of Telangana case, the Supreme Court ruled that a speaker acting under the Tenth Schedule does not enjoy constitutional immunity from judicial scrutiny.
The court had noted that the speaker failed to act with due promptness, not issuing notices on the petitions for over seven months. A contempt notice was even issued against the speaker on November 17 for the delay.
Attention now shifts to the speaker's pending decisions. He is expected to announce his verdict on Thursday regarding disqualification petitions against three more MLAs: Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada). The appointments of Pocharam as an advisor to the government on agriculture and Arekapudi as the chairperson of the public accounts committee had earlier fueled speculation about their shift in allegiance.
Meanwhile, in the cases of two other MLAs, Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur) has filed his affidavit in response to the speaker's notice, while Danam Nagender (Khairatabad) is yet to submit his response. The BRS has highlighted their active roles in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with Danam contesting the Secunderabad seat on a Congress ticket and Kadiyam campaigning for his daughter in Warangal.
