All eyes on Speaker’s decision on disqualification petitions against Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari

All eyes are on the office of Legislative Assembly Speaker G. Prasad Kumar’s verdict on the charges against two BRS legislators Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari for allegedly defecting to the ruling Congress after winning on the BRS ticket.

The Speaker, acting as chairman of the tribunal dealing with anti defection law constituted under Schedule X of the Constitution has dismissed another petition of defection against Jagtial MLA M. Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday on the ground that the petitioners from the BRS did not submit sufficient proof substantiating their charges.

The Tribunal has earlier dismissed the disqualification petitions filed against seven of the 10 MLAs claiming there was no truth in the claim that these MLAs shifted allegiance to Congress and the petitioners did not submit necessary proofs to substantiate their charge that the MLAs switched sides.

Mr. Prasad Kumar who kept the decision on the petition against Dr. Sanjay Kumar pending for quite some time announced his verdict following the Supreme Court’s directive to expedite the matter before February 6. This leaves verdict on Mr. Nagender and Mr. Srihari pending and it is likely to take some time as the arguments and cross examination of the petitioners and respondents should be conducted before the Tribunal takes a decision.

Interestingly, notices were not served on Mr. Nagender and Mr. Srihari till the court intervened in the matter following a petition filed by the BRS leadership. Accordingly, notices were served on the two MLAs subsequently asking them to appear for hearing. But the hearing has been postponed to February 18 and 19 respectively following requests from the petitioners and respondents on the ground that they are busy with the ongoing elections to urban local bodies.

All the MLAs who are relieved of the defection charges claimed that the reports of their voluntarily giving up the membership and joining the ruling Congress were wrong and that they had met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for “development purposes”. These MLAs corroborated their argument citing that they continue to pay Rs. 5,000 as contribution to the BRS legislative wing.

The cases pertaining to Mr. Nagender and Mr. Srihari however assumed significance. Mr. Nagender contested from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket in spite of being an MLA of the BRS while Mr. Srihari campaigned extensively for his daughter Kadiyam Kavya who won as an MP from Warangal Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket.

A section of leaders claimed that the verdict against the two will also be on the same lines, but they did not rule out the scope for the BRS leadership approaching the Supreme Court again with armed with proofs of their active involvement in the Congress related affairs.