Hyderabad: Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar said he would act on disqualification petitions against party-defecting MLAs after reviewing the Supreme Court’s recent judgment, which directed the Speaker to decide within three months.
Responding to the apex court’s ruling, Kumar stated that he would consult legal experts before proceeding. “We’ve already issued notices to the MLAs who switched parties,” he said, adding that further details would be made public soon.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, dismissed the request that disqualification powers be vested in the judiciary. The bench firmly stated that Speakers must decide such petitions within a strict timeline to prevent abuse of the legislative process.
The court rejected the “operation success, patient died” logic, remarking that inaction on defection cases erodes the democratic mandate. It also dismissed the Telangana High Court division bench’s earlier judgment and suggested Parliament consider enacting specific legislation to address political defections.
Kumar’s response to the judgment is now being closely watched amid heightened political interest in the fate of MLAs who switched loyalties.