Tue Mar 04 13:16:18 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Questions Delay in Telangana MLA Disqualification Cases
**New Delhi** – The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday sharply criticized the delay by the Telangana Assembly Speaker in deciding on the disqualification petitions of several Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs who joined the ruling Congress party. The court questioned the protracted process, using the analogy, “Can it be the case that the operation is successful, but the patient is dead?” referring to the potential erosion of democratic principles due to the delay.
Justice B.R. Gavai, presiding over the bench, expressed concern over the timing of decisions on disqualification notices, particularly questioning whether such decisions should be postponed until the end of a Speaker’s tenure. The court is considering two petitions: one challenging a November 2024 Telangana High Court order regarding three MLAs, and another concerning seven additional defectors.
Despite earlier granting the Speaker time to respond without formal notice, the court issued notices to the Telangana state government, Speaker’s office, Assembly secretary, Election Commission of India, and the defected MLAs themselves after lawyers for the Speaker indicated an inability to respond due to the lack of prior notice. The court emphasized the importance of adhering to principles of natural justice, setting the next hearing for March 25th and directing the judicial registrar to ensure proper service of the notices.
The backdrop to this case is the significant shift in Telangana’s political landscape following the 2023 Assembly elections, where the Congress party secured a resounding victory, winning 64 out of 119 seats, compared to the BRS’s reduced tally of 39.
First Piper 