Will verdict on removal of two Congress MLAs from Telangana Assembly have impact on plea against turncoats in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA: Will the verdict of the Hyderabad High Court which, on Tuesday, set aside the expulsion of two Congress MLAs from the Telangana Assembly, have any impact on the disqualification petition moved by YSRC against 22 MLAs who had defected to TDP?

Political observers and legal fraternity felt that both the issues, despite being related to the members of legislative bodies, are different and the chances of the court intervention in the disqualification petitions, which are pending with the AP Legislative Assembly, are bleak.

Though a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court recently issued notices to Principal Secretary to Law and Legislative Department of AP, Assembly Secretary and MLAs concerned for filing their counter affidavits in a PIL seeking action on the complaints given against the MLAs for defecting to the ruling TDP from YSRC, a leader of the ruling party said that all those asked to file affidavits will give their reply to the court within the stipulated time. Chances of expulsion of members of the legislative bodies are remote. Ultimately, it will be the courts that will come to the rescue of the members in such circumstances. But, disqualification is different and it will be decided by the Speaker of the respective Houses, a TDP leader said.

"Though the subjects of our case and the expulsion of the MLAs by Telangana Legislative Assembly are different, the High Court's verdict has proved that the courts will do justice by taking into account the truth of the matter,'' Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, who filed the PIL in court seeking disqualification of the defected MLAs, told TNIE.

When contacted by TNIE, High Court advocate Suvvari Srinivasa Rao said the verdict of High Court setting aside the expulsion of two Congress MLAs from the Telangana Legislative Assembly will not have any impact on the petition seeking disqualification of YSRC MLAs who switched their loyalties to TDP. Expulsion of MLAs is different from disqualification. "The issue of disqualifying the MLAs is under the purview of the Speaker, I don't think the court will interfere in the matter. The expulsion of MLAs is done in violation of principles of natural justice so the court delivered such a verdict, he observed.