Yesterday, the Telangana High Court directed the Assembly Speaker to decide the petition to disqualify the MLAs who defected from BRS to Congress.
The High Court has given the Speaker a deadline of four weeks to decide. If no decision is made within this period, the court has stated that it will take up the case suo-moto and proceed with its own investigation.
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A total of 10 BRS MLAs switched to Congress after the Assembly elections. BRS has petitioned the court to disqualify these MLAs and has demanded by-elections in their respective constituencies.
With the High Court’s orders, there is growing speculation about whether these MLAs will be disqualified and if by-elections will be held.
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Yesterday, the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly appointed three financial committees for the Financial Year 2024-25. Among these appointments, Sherilingampally MLA Arikepudi Gandhi, who recently defected from BRS to Congress, has been named the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts (PAC).
Traditionally, the position of PAC Chairman is assigned to a leader recommended by the opposition party, but this time it has been given to a defector.
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This appointment has sparked speculation about whether the Speaker still considers Gandhi a BRS MLA. If this is the case, the same might apply to the other nine defected MLAs.
Before deciding on BRS’s petition for disqualification, the Speaker is expected to seek the opinions of the defected MLAs. After this, it remains to be seen whether the Speaker will still recognize them as BRS members despite their defection to Congress or disqualify them. Only in the event of disqualification by-elections will be held.
As of now, neither the Speaker nor Congress has responded to the High Court’s order. It remains to be seen whether the Speaker’s office will approach the division bench regarding the High Court’s order or make a decision within the four-week timeframe.
