Supreme Court Issues Final Warning to Telangana Assembly Speaker
The Supreme Court of India delivered a stern message on Friday. It granted a final opportunity to Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. The speaker must decide on pending disqualification pleas against BRS MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress party.
One Last Chance with Consequences
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Augustine George Masih made this clear. They stated they were giving the speaker one last chance. The court warned that consequences will follow if he fails to act. The bench directed the speaker to file an affidavit detailing actions taken so far. It also ordered a status report before the next hearing date. The matter stands adjourned for two weeks.
Speaker's Counsel Seeks More Time
Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi represented the speaker. They requested an additional eight weeks to complete proceedings. They cited the speaker's recent eye surgery as a reason for delay. The counsel informed the court about progress on several petitions.
Orders in seven disqualification petitions have already been pronounced. The order in one case remains reserved. On Thursday, Speaker Prasad Kumar dismissed petitions against two BRS MLAs. These were Pocharam Srinivas Reddy from Banswada and Kale Yadaiah from Chevella.
Earlier Dismissals and Pending Cases
In December, the speaker dismissed disqualification petitions against five other MLAs. The list includes Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), T Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), and Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally).
The speaker ruled insufficient material existed to prove defection to Congress in all these cases. Three cases remain pending currently.
- The speaker completed hearings for Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar and reserved the order.
- Cases involving Danam Nagender (Khairatabad) and Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur) are still pending.
- While Srihari replied to the Speaker's notice, Nagender has not responded yet.
BRS Leaders Oppose Extension
Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu appeared for BRS leaders K T Rama Rao and others. He strongly opposed the plea for extension. Naidu argued the speaker already received three months to decide the pleas. That period expired long ago.
He emphasized the speaker should not get repeated extensions. The speaker failed to comply with the court's earlier directions according to Naidu.
Background of Contempt Notice
This development follows a contempt notice from the apex court in November 2025. The court issued this notice to the Telangana speaker. It termed the non-compliance with its directions as the grossest kind of contempt.
The Supreme Court continues monitoring this politically sensitive case closely. All eyes now turn to the speaker's next actions within the given timeframe.
