DEFECTION OF BRS MLAs: SC slaps notice on TG govt, sets March 22 as deadline for reply

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Telangana Government, Assembly Secretary and Election Commission of India on the defection of the BRS MLAs, setting a deadline to reply by March 22 and also posted the hearing on March 25. The case of 10 BRS MLAs joining Congress party came up for hearing before Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Court clubbed the two cases filed by BRS working president KT Rama Rao and Padi Kaushik Reddy against the party MLAs who had switched loyalties. The apex court was upset that the Speaker’s office was seeking reasonable time to take a decision. Justice Gavai said, “Every matter cannot be operation successful, patient dead. Reasonable period should be at the end of the term? In a democracy this process should go on endlessly till the end of the term? What happens to democratic principles then?”

Mukul Rohatgi and Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing on behalf of the Speaker pointed out the absence of a formal notice to the Speaker to clarify on reasonable time to decide on the disqualification petitions. The Court issued a formal notice and waived it on behalf of the respondents. The case will now be taken up on March 25.

Appearing on behalf of the BRS, senior Advocate S Sundaram said that more than a year had passed without a decision. He accused that the Speaker’s counsel was using deliberate delay tactics.