Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar
Credit: X/@GpkOfficial_
Hyderabad: Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Monday began conducting a trial under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in connection with petitions filed by the Opposition BRS for disqualification of MLAs who defected to the Congress after the 2023 Assembly polls.
The BRS had filed petitions against 10 such legislators. The Speaker has drawn up a schedule to hear the cases of four of them T Prakash Goud, Kale Yadaiah, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy on Monday and Wednesday.
The in-camera hearings commenced with cross-examinations between the counsels of the petitioners and those representing the defected MLAs. The first session saw BRS MLA Kalvakuntla Sanjay being cross-examined by the counsel for T Prakash Goud. This was followed by the cross-examination of Chinta Prabhakar by the counsels for Kale Yadaiah and Gudem Mahipal Reddy.
The final session in this round will have Palla Rajeshwar Reddy cross-examined by Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy’s counsel. This is the first instance in the history of the Telangana Legislative Assembly where the Speaker himself is directly conducting hearings on disqualification petitions.
The BRS leaders had filed petitions before the Speaker seeking the disqualification of 10 party MLAs who joined the ruling Congress.
They approached the Supreme Court over the delay on the part of the Speaker in taking a decision on their petitions.
The Supreme Court on July 31 directed the Assembly to decide within three months petitions seeking the disqualification of 10 BRS MLAs who had switched to Congress.
Legislature Secretary has also imposed restrictions in the Assembly premises in view of the disqualification petitions being taken up for hearing by the Tribunal under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
These restrictions will be in force from September 29 to October 6 while Tribunal proceedings are going on in the premises of the Legislature Building.