Supreme Court Grips Telangana Speaker in Contempt over Disqualification Delay

The Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to the Telangana speaker for not deciding disqualification pleas against 10 defected BRS MLAs. Despite an order to resolve the issue in three months, no action was taken, raising concerns of contempt. Further hearings are scheduled for November.

The Supreme Court has expressed serious dissatisfaction with the Telangana assembly speaker's failure to act on disqualification pleas against 10 BRS MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress. This inaction prompted the court to issue a contempt notice against the speaker and others involved.

Previously, a court directive demanded that the speaker address the disqualification issues within a three-month window. However, the deadline has passed without resolution, leading Chief Justice B R Gavai to label the delay as the "grossest kind of contempt." The court has now postponed further discussions on this matter by four weeks.

In defense, senior advocates, including Mukul Rohatgi and Abhishek Singhvi, argued for more time on behalf of the speaker's office. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court underlined that the speaker serves as a tribunal concerning disqualification pleas under the Tenth Schedule, thus bearing no constitutional immunity. The ongoing delay and legal proceedings continue to plague the Telangana legislative matters.

(With inputs from agencies.)