House dissolution to end issues of disqualification and expulsions 

HYDERABAD: The proposed dissolution of  Telangana State Assembly will eventually put a lid on all the four-year-long disputes over disqualification of several MLAs and expulsion of two Congress MLAs from the Assembly.According to sources in the State Legislature, once the Assembly is dissolved, whatever pending with the House like Bills, business and even legal disputes or cases pertaining to the particular House will become infructuous.

There was a case in the Supreme Court on the disqualification of several MLAs who switched their loyalties from various political parties to TRS in the current Assembly. As many as 25 MLAs, 12 of TDP, seven of Congress, three of YSRCP, two of BSP and one of CPI, switched their loyalty to the TRS. The respective parties filed disqualification petitions before the Speaker but S Madhusudhana Chary has not considered the petitions so far.

With no action coming from the Assembly Speaker, the Opposition parties approached the court. The Supreme Court has decided to constitute a five-member Constitution bench to adjudicate the matter on the Speaker’s powers to intervene in Court matters. But the Constitution bench was not constituted. Even if the bench is constituted, the case would continue but the disqualified MLAs need not attend as they would no longer be members if the Assembly is dissolved, legal experts said.

If Rao decides to dissolve the Assembly, then the disqualification petitions will not be valid. Two Congress MLA SA Sampath Kumar and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy were expelled from the Assembly and the decision of the House was challenged in the court. This case would also become infructuous, they said.  

‘Caretaker govt’ 
Former A-G K Ramakrishna Reddy said that once the Assembly was dissolved it was the discretion of the EC to conduct polls or not within six months. Once the House is dissolved, the Cabinet will continue as caretaker. If elections were not held even then, the tenure of the govt may be extended. If the tenure is not extended, the State would come under Governor’s rule.