Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the office of the Telangana Assembly Speaker what constituted ‘reasonable time’ according to the Speaker to take a decision on the disqualification petitions filed by the BRS against its MLAs who had defected to the Congress.“Does it mean that the reasonable time would be the completion of the tenure of the Assembly,” asked a bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, while dealing with the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the BRS legislators seeking action against the defectors.The bench asked the Speaker’s office if the “reasonable time” to decide the disqualification petitions was like in Maharashtra. The court gave ten days to counsel for the Assembly secretary to convey the Speaker’s perception on what constituted “reasonable time” and adjourned the hearing to February 10.The Supreme Court bench was hearing the petitions filed by BRS MLA Padi Koushik Reddy and others challenging the orders of the Telangana High Court, which had asked the Speaker to dispose of the petitions within a reasonable time.During the hearing, the court questioned senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the Assembly Secretary, why the Speaker had taken 10 months to issue notices to the defected MLAs, when the disqualification petitions were filed on March 15, 2024.When senior counsel replied that the issue had gone to the High Court, the bench questioned whether any stay had been issued. When senior counsel tried to make the submission that the Speaker had the authority to take reasonable time to dispose of the petitions, the bench questioned what would be the reasonable time.Senior counsel then sought more time to convey the Speaker’s perception. The bench observed that it was not necessary to go to Hyderabad to know it and he could make a telephone call. However, the bench gave ten days and adjourned the matter.
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