High Court adjourns BRS defection cases to July 22

Hyderabad: The HC bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Ghouse Meera Mohiduddin on Thursday adjourned a batch of 10 writs filed by BRS legislators challenging the Assembly Speaker's orders dismissing their disqualification petitions against 10 party colleagues who defected to the Congress party. The bench fixed July 22 as the next date of hearing, directing the defected MLAs and the Speaker to file counters without further delay.

The ten BRS legislators who crossed over to the Congress without resigning from the BRS primary membership are Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), T Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), Venkat Rao Tellam (Bhadradri-Kothagudem), Arekapudi Gandhi (Kukatpally), Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Jogulamba-Gadwal), Kale Yadaiah (Vikarabad), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), M Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur) and Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru). All 10 continued to participate in the Assembly proceedings while retaining their BRS membership.

The writs were filed by sitting BRS MLAs challenging the Speaker's orders dismissing the disqualification petitions that had been filed before the Assembly.

The petitioners seek directions to set aside those orders. The writ petitions filed by Kuna Pandu Vivekanand (Medchal Malkajgiri), Kalvakuntla Sanjay (Metpally, Jagtial), Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Chinta Prabhakar, Padi Kaushik Reddy, Gunthakandla Jagadish Reddy and KP Vivekanand (Quthbullapur). In addition, WP 8647 of 2026 filed by Kaushik Reddy and WP 8409 of 2026 filed by Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, MLA (Nirmal) representing the BJP, both pertain to the disqualification petition concerning Nagender.

The CJ bench had on April 16 issued notices to all 10 defected MLAs and the Speaker. On the last date of hearing, the bench had directed all respondents to file counters by Thursday.

When the issue came up before the court, senior counsel Vivek Reddy and senior counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing for the BRS MLAs who had filed both the disqualification petitions before the Speaker and the writs before the HC, pointed out that despite the court's earlier direction, neither the defected MLAs nor the Speaker had filed responses.

The bench noted the non-compliance and adjourned the proceedings to July 22, reiterating its direction to all the defected MLAs and the Speaker to file counters before the next hearing.