SC Slams Telangana Speaker for Delaying Disqualification Pleas, Gives 2-Week Deadline

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The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Telangana Speaker for delaying decisions on disqualification pleas against three rebel Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators. The bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and AG Masih has given the Speaker two weeks to complete the process, warning that the matter will be fixed for progress after that period. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by BRS leader KTR Rao, who alleged that the Speaker had violated the three-month deadline set by the top court's July 2024 order. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Speaker, argued that intervening events, including the Speaker's hospitalization for eye surgery, had delayed the process. However, senior advocate Dama Sesadari Naidu, representing the BRS leaders, vehemently opposed the request for further time, stating that the dignity and prestige of the court were at stake. The court has directed the Speaker to file an affidavit on the steps taken to comply with the order. The disqualification pleas were filed against three BRS legislators who joined the Congress party in March 2024. The BRS leaders have accused the Congress government of shielding the defected MLAs, despite getting reprimand from the Supreme Court. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao has accused the Congress government of making a mockery of the Constitution by shielding the defected MLAs. He alleged that the assembly speaker's office had been corrupted under political pressure and that the Congress had exposed its 'moral bankruptcy' once again. The Congress and the speaker's office have not reacted to the Supreme Court's directive. The court will review the progress made in the matter after two weeks.