The Supreme Court ruled that it is not powerless if a Speaker remains indecisive about disqualifying defecting legislators.
This decision came during the hearing of petitions by BRS leaders seeking action from the Telangana Speaker on 10 MLAs who switched to the ruling Congress party.
The court emphasized that the anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule) aims to prevent political defections, and indecision by the Speaker could defeat this purpose.
Justice B.R. Gavai questioned if courts can direct Speakers to decide within a reasonable timeframe, even if they can’t dictate the outcome.
Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the respondents, argued that courts can request speedy decisions but cannot impose strict deadlines.
The court countered, saying it can use Article 142 powers to enforce compliance if the Speaker delays unjustifiably.
The case involved disqualification petitions filed in March-April 2024, but the Speaker only issued notices in January 2025, which the court questioned as unreasonable.
The Supreme Court has previously intervened to speed up long-pending anti-defection cases.
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