Supreme Court Criticizes Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy Over By-Election Remarks

New Delhi/Hyderabad, April 3 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has once again criticized Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for his comments in the state legislative Assembly where he dismissed the possibility of by-elections. The Court expressed regret for not having issued a contempt notice to him previously when he made controversial remarks about the bail of BRS leader K. Kavitha.

During the Assembly session on March 26, the Chief Minister stated that no by-elections would occur, even if MLAs from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) defected to the ruling Congress party.

For the second consecutive day, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Chief Minister for his statements.

The Court noted that the CM's comments undermined the 10th schedule of the Constitution.

A bench consisting of Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih made this observation while reviewing petitions from BRS leaders, who are seeking a prompt decision from the Assembly Speaker regarding the disqualification of 10 BRS MLAs who switched allegiance to Congress last year.

Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram, representing the petitioners, pointed out that the Chief Minister made these assertions despite a BRS MLA reminding him that discussing ongoing Supreme Court proceedings was inappropriate as the matter was sub-judice.

Sundaram quoted the Chief Minister's statements made in the Assembly.

“Mr. Speaker, I am speaking on your behalf to all Assembly members that they need not be concerned about any by-elections in the future. No by-elections will take place. Even if opposition MLAs desire a by-election, it won’t occur. Whether they join us or remain there, there will be no by-elections.”

The senior lawyer informed the court that the Speaker remained silent even though the CM claimed to represent him.

Justice Gavai disapproved of the CM's remarks and questioned Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented the Telangana Assembly Speaker/Secretary, about the potential error in not taking action against the CM previously.

“With prior experience, should the CM not have exercised a degree of restraint? Did we err by allowing you to proceed without action for contempt? If this is how it will be... separation of powers... We are indifferent to what politicians say, but when someone has faced a similar situation... not even a year has passed,” the judge remarked. He further stated that while the Supreme Court maintains self-restraint, similar expectations should be held for other democratic branches.

When Singhvi argued that the transcript was being selectively interpreted and requested time to procure it, Justice Gavai noted that the petitioners were presenting the complete transcript to the Court.

Following the arguments on the petitions, the bench reserved its ruling.

During the Wednesday hearing, Sundaram highlighted the statement made by the Chief Minister in the Assembly on March 26.

Justice Gavai advised senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi to caution the Chief Minister against making such contentious statements in the legislature, advising him to prevent a recurrence of the error.

Previously, in August, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had made remarks regarding the bail granted to BRS MLC K. Kavitha concerning the Delhi liquor policy case.

The CM had allegedly stated that Kavitha could obtain bail in five months as the BRS’s vote bank had shifted to the BJP.

“Do we issue our orders in consultation with political parties? We do not concern ourselves with which party politicians belong to… We disregard political criticism of our orders. We fulfill our duties according to the Constitution and our oath,” Justice Gavai remarked while addressing Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra, who represented Revanth Reddy.

After the Supreme Court criticized the Chief Minister for his comments, he subsequently expressed his sincere regret.