The Supreme Court of India.
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its strong displeasure Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar over his failure to decide disqualification plea against 10 BRS MLAs, who joined ruling Congress, within three months, saying he is in gross contempt of court and that he has to decide where he has to spend his New Year’s Eve.
A bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria sought a response from him on a contempt plea, claiming that he has not decided the disqualification petitions against the BRS MLAs who defected to Congress within the three-month time limit set by the judgment delivered by the apex court in July this year.
"This is gross contempt of court," the bench told senior advocate A M Singhvi appearing for the Speaker.
The bench said it is for the Speaker to decide whether he wants to decide the matter or face contempt by the court.
The court pointed out that the Speaker was supposed to decide the matter by October 31.
Giving the Speaker the time by next week, the bench said, "It is for him to decide. We have already held that he doesn't enjoy constitutional immunity when considering the matters under the Tenth Schedule. He has to decide where he has to spend his New Year's Eve.”
The court was assured that the Speaker would decide the matter within two weeks.
The bench issued a contempt notice to the Telangana Assembly Speaker for not complying with its direction to decide disqualification pleas against 10 BRS MLAs, who had defected to the ruling Congress.
On July 31, the court had directed the Speaker to decide the petitions within a period of three months.
The court had also asked the Speaker not to allow MLAs facing disqualification pleas to drag the proceedings, saying that if they do so, then the Speaker can draw an adverse inference against them.