Telangana Assembly Speaker, Gaddam Prasad Kumar, is set to preside over the hearing of MLA Kadiyam Srihari’s disqualification petition on Wednesday. The Speaker has summoned both Srihari and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA K.P. Vivekanand to attend the proceedings. As the tribunal chairman under the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the Speaker will document the evidence presented by the petitioner.
Srihari, a former deputy chief minister, is among the 10 BRS MLAs accused of defecting to the ruling Congress party in 2024. Notably, the Speaker has already concluded hearings on disqualification petitions involving eight MLAs, ruling in favor of seven. He found insufficient evidence to prove the alleged defection to the Congress, maintaining that all MLAs technically remain part of the BRS.
The Speaker is yet to deliver a decision on the disqualification plea concerning MLA Sanjay Kumar. Additionally, hearings on the disqualification of two other MLAs, Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari, were postponed due to their failure to respond to official notices. The proceedings regarding Nagender were adjourned to February 18 at the request of BJP floor leader A. Maheshwar Reddy, one of the petitioners, who sought more time to prepare his case.
Advocates representing the petitioners have been actively presenting their arguments, with Padi Kaushik Reddy’s counsel submitting an affidavit seeking Nagender’s disqualification. Nagender, in response, refuted the claims, arguing that the accusations were solely based on media reports. The Speaker’s recent directive from the Supreme Court mandated a prompt decision within two weeks on the pending disqualification petitions.
Despite allegations that the 10 MLAs openly aligned with the Congress, the accused lawmakers denied switching parties, asserting that their interactions with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy were solely aimed at securing development funds for their constituencies.
