New Delhi, Nov 17 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Monday condemned the Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar for what it labeled as “gross contempt” due to the ongoing delay in addressing the disqualification petitions of 10 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs who switched allegiance to the ruling Congress party.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, along with Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, was reviewing a contempt petition submitted by BRS leader Kaushik Reddy after the Speaker neglected to adhere to the Supreme Court’s directive issued on July 31, which mandated a decision on the disqualification petitions within a three-month timeframe.

The deadline established by the Supreme Court had lapsed on October 31.

Expressing strong disapproval of the Speaker’s inaction, the CJI Gavai-led Bench commented, “It is for him (the Speaker) to decide whether he wants to address the matter or confront contempt from this Court. This is gross contempt.”

“Resolve it by next week or face the consequences of contempt. We have already established that he does not possess constitutional immunity when deliberating on matters under the Tenth Schedule. He must choose how he wishes to spend his New Year’s Eve,” the apex court cautioned.

Representing the Speaker, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi assured the CJI Gavai-led Bench that a decision would be forthcoming within two weeks, stating, “The message is loud and clear, milord.”

The controversy originates from the defection of 10 BRS MLAs, including Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, and Tellam Venkat Rao, who aligned with Congress in 2023 following its return to power in Telangana.

In an order dated July 31, the Supreme Court directed the Speaker to resolve the disqualification petitions “as expediently as possible and in any case within three months,” also nullifying a ruling from the Telangana High Court that indicated no time limit could be placed on the Speaker.

The Speaker’s persistent delay has incited political unrest within Telangana. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao recently indicated that the party is ready to return to the Supreme Court to ensure that the defected MLAs are unseated, asserting that by-elections in the relevant constituencies have become “inevitable.”

Previously, in August, a faction of BRS MLAs even submitted a disqualification petition at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly grounds after being unable to meet with the Telangana Assembly Speaker.

The defectors include Danam Nagender (Khairatabad constituency), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), M. Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally), T. Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), B. Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), G. Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), and Kale Yadaiah (Chevella) who transitioned to the Congress party last year.