Praja Shanthi Party chief challenges Assembly Speaker’s order dismissing disqualification pleas against BRS MLAs, citing Supreme Court directives and violations of anti-defection provisions under the Tenth Schedule.
New Delhi | 18 December 2025
Dr K A Paul, President of the Praja Shanthi Party and noted global humanitarian, has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court challenging the Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar’s recent decision to reject disqualification pleas in the defection case involving Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators. Alongside, Dr Paul has also demanded the resignation of the Speaker, citing serious lapses in constitutional duty.
The petitions, dismissed by the Speaker on Wednesday, involved five BRS MLAs—Arekapudi Gandhi, Tellam Venkata Rao, Banda Krishnamohan, T Prakash Goud, and Gudem Mahipal Reddy. The Speaker ruled that there was no conclusive evidence of party defection, providing relief to the MLAs.
Addressing the press at Andhra Bhawan in New Delhi, Dr Paul criticized the Speaker’s decision, stating that it undermines the spirit of the anti-defection law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. “Reducing defection to a technicality while ignoring the legislators’ public political actions is a grave violation of constitutional intent,” he said.
Dr Paul also highlighted ongoing Supreme Court proceedings, emphasizing that the Speaker’s ruling was issued while judicial review was still pending. On 31 July, a bench led by then Chief Justice B R Gavai had directed the Speaker to decide the disqualification petitions for 10 MLAs within three months. However, failure to comply led the Supreme Court, on 17 November, to issue a contempt notice, calling it the “most serious form of contempt.”
He asserted that any order issued in defiance of Supreme Court directives raises questions about constitutional legality and institutional accountability, adding that the Speaker is bound to act strictly within the framework set by the apex court.
Dr Paul also drew attention to pending matters before the Speaker, including cases of Danam Nagender, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket, and Kadiyam Srihari, accused of campaigning for his daughter’s Congress candidature.
Through this petition, Dr Paul seeks disqualification of all 10 MLAs elected on BRS tickets in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections who allegedly joined Congress in 2024. He reaffirmed his commitment to pursue legal remedies to ensure compliance with Supreme Court directions and safeguard the anti-defection provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
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