Hyderabad: Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar has rejected disqualification petitions filed against five Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLAs. He said the petitions lacked proof of defection while addressing an open hearing the premises of Telangana Assembly on Wednesday.
The Speaker stated petitioners failed to present evidence to show party switching by the legislators. Based on the available records, he dismissed all five petitions.
The MLAs involved are,Tellam Venkata Rao, Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, Prakash Goud and Arikepudi Gandhi. The deadline set by the Supreme Court ends tomorrow. With the deadline approaching, Speaker Prasad, who examined eight MLAs in phases, has now announced his decision.
Five MLAs told the Speaker they had not changed parties and continued to remain with the BRS. They said they met the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy only for development-related issues and did not wear or accept any party scarf. The Speaker accepted their explanations and rejected the disqualification petitions filed by the BRS.
Kadium and Danam Sought More Time
The Speaker is expected to announce a decision soon in the cases of Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Kale Yadaiah, and Dr Sanjay Kumar. Meanwhile, Kadium Srihari and Danam Nagander sought more time in response to the Speaker’s notices. As a result, the Speaker’s decision in the cases of these two MLAs remains pending.
BRS MLAs who filed the disqualification petitions against the five legislators also presented their arguments. They submitted the evidence in their possession and urged the Speaker to disqualify the MLAs. With the Speaker giving a clean chit, the BRS is likely to submit its evidence to the Supreme Court the day after tomorrow.
Since the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the disqualification matter the day after tomorrow, there is growing suspense over how the apex court will respond.
BRS Will Move to Court
Following the decision, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi reacted strongly. BRS MLAs said they would approach the High Court after reviewing the full order copy. They described the Speaker’s ruling as unconstitutional and against democratic principles.
Party leaders said legal options remain open. They added the matter involves serious constitutional questions and demands judicial scrutiny.
The Speaker’s decision has political significance, as it clears the five legislators of disqualification proceedings for now. Further developments depend on the next legal steps taken by the BRS.
Posted on 17 December 6:00 PM IST
Mohammed Naseer Giyas is a multi-media and bilingual journalist with over 20 years of experience across print, digital, and television media. Founder of Raftaar-e-Deccan, he is an alumnus of IVLP, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and ICFJ, and has worked with leading English and Urdu news organisations.
