BRS goes to SC against turncoat MLAs

Hyderabad: The BRS on Thursday took its battle with the Congress for disqualification of 10 of its MLAs, who defected to the ruling party, to the Supreme Court by filing two petitions.

Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao was in New Delhi for the purpose.

The party, in its petitions, urged the apex court to take up the matter quickly and deliver its pronouncement directing the Telangana Assembly Speaker to take action within four weeks on its disqualification petitions that have been pending with the speaker.

While a writ petition was filed seeking directions on seven of its MLAs — Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Kale Yadaiah, Sanjay Kumar, Krishnamohan Reddy, Mahipal Reddy, Prakash Goud, and Arekapudi Gandhi — a special leave petition was filed on behalf of the party seeking directions with respect to the defection of three more of its MLAs, Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkatrao, and Kadiam Srihari.

The BRS is seeking directions from the Supreme Court to the speaker and the assembly secretary that action should be taken against the 10 BRS MLAs who had joined the Congress.

They informed the court that though the Telangana High Court, in a case filed by them, had six months back asked the Speaker to take a decision on the complaint from BRS, no steps were taken.

The speaker did not even issue notices to the 10 MLAs and has not initiated any steps to disqualify the turncoat legislators, they informed the court.