New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a significant ruling on the disqualification of 10 BRS MLAs who defected to Congress, directing the Telangana Assembly Speaker to decide on their status within three months, by October 31.
The court dismissed petitions seeking direct disqualification of the legislators, emphasizing that anti-defection cases cannot remain pending for years. The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih, reserved the verdict on April 3 after hearing arguments across nine sessions.
The case was initiated when BRS MLAs Padi Kaushik Reddy and Vivekananda filed a Special Leave Petition on January 15, 2025, against the defection of Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkatrao, and Kadiyam Srihari. BRS leader KTR and other petitioners later filed writ petitions naming Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy, Kale Yadayya, T. Prakash Goud, A. Gandhi, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and M. Sanjay Kumar as respondents.
Following the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, these 10 MLAs won on the BRS symbol but subsequently joined Congress, prompting the party to seek their disqualification. The Supreme Court’s order now requires Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to make a final decision on the matter within the set deadline.