Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the court that one of the pending cases was an “open and shut” matter, stating that the MLA had contested a parliamentary election on a Congress ticket, lost, yet continued to hold his BRS MLA seat.
Published Jan 16, 2026 | 3:20 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 16, 2026 | 3:20 PM
Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly Gaddam Prasad Kumar
Synopsis: The Supreme Court of India has given a final two-week deadline to Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to decide disqualification pleas against three Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLAs accused of defecting to the ruling Congress. The court made it clear that no further extension would be granted and warned that failure to decide the petitions could invite further contempt proceedings.
The Supreme Court on Friday, 16 January, issued a final warning to Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, directing him to decide the remaining three disqualification petitions against Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLAs accused of defecting to the ruling Congress.
A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice AG Masih said this was the “last opportunity” and made it clear that no further extension would be granted beyond two weeks.
The three MLAs are Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), and Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur).
The apex court was hearing compliance proceedings relating to its order of 31 July 2024, which had directed the Speaker to decide disqualification pleas against 10 BRS MLAs within three months.
The MLAs had switched allegiance to the Congress after the 2023 Assembly elections. When the Speaker failed to act within the stipulated time, contempt petitions were filed, leading the court to issue a strong rebuke in November 2025.
In December 2025, the Speaker dismissed the petitions against seven MLAs, rejecting the disqualification claims on the ground that there was no evidence of defection. The remaining three cases are yet to be decided.
Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the State government, sought an adjournment of two weeks to finalise the pending matters. Singhvi told the Bench that seven petitions had already been disposed of, with an eighth reserved for judgment.
The request was strongly opposed by Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for one of the petitioners. Naidu argued that the Speaker, acting as a tribunal under the anti-defection law, had repeatedly flouted court orders and undermined their sanctity.
He described one of the pending cases as an “open and shut” matter, stating that the MLA had contested a parliamentary election on a Congress ticket, lost, yet continued to hold his BRS MLA seat, but the tribunal had not dealt with the issue so far.
Justice AG Masih expressed dissatisfaction over the Speaker’s inaction, observing that earlier assurances had not been honoured. He said the Speaker had not done much despite being given time, and added that the court would now give a last opportunity, allowing only two weeks.
In its order, the court directed the Speaker to file an affidavit setting out the steps taken to comply with its directions and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
The court said failure to decide the petitions could invite further contempt proceedings, signalling its displeasure over prolonged delays in anti-defection cases.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
