The Hyderabad High Court today stayed all further proceedings, including the direction for appearing in person by a single judge, in a contempt plea filed by two Congress MLAs over non-restoration of their membership despite the court's order.
The judge also issued notice under Form 1 of the Contempt of Courts Act, directing them to respond as to why they should not be punished for contempt of the court.
The judge also directed them to appear before the court on September 17.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan and Justice V Ramasubramanian, today observed that the appeals filed by the secretary, state legislature and the law secretary raised many important questions in constitutional interpretation on the power of judicial review in matters concerning the proceedings of the House.
The bench directed the appeals to be posted after four weeks.
On March 13, the two MLAs were expelled from the Telangana Legislative Assembly, a day after "unruly" incidents during the Governor's address to the joint sitting of legislature.
Subsequently, the two had jointly filed a petition in the High Court, challenging their expulsion from the Assembly.
On April 17, the High Court quashed the notification issued by the Legislature Secretary expelling the two MLAs.
Again in June this year, the two expelled Congress MLAs had filed a contempt plea against the Telangana legislature secretary and law secretary for not restoring their membership.
They had also complained that police have not restored their security which they were enjoying prior to their expulsion.
Justice Sankara Rao also impleaded the Telangana director general of police and superintendents' of police of Nalgonda and Jogulamba Gadwal districts, asking them why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for their 'failure' to provide police security to them (Reddy and Kumar).
The judge had last week also issued a show cause notice to the speaker of the legislative Assembly directing him to explain as to why action cannot be initiated against him for Contempt of Court.
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