HYDERABAD: The Tribunal under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, headed by Telangana Assembly Speaker G Prasad Kumar, on Wednesday heard the disqualification petitions filed against MLA Danam Nagender.
During the proceedings, advocates representing Danam Nagender cross-examined petitioners BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and BJP legislator Alleti Maheshwar Reddy.
Both leaders had filed separate disqualification petitions alleging that Nagender, who won the Khairatabad Assembly segment as a BRS candidate, had defected to the ruling Congress after the 2023 elections.
The Speaker has so far completed hearings and dismissed disqualification petitions filed against eight MLAs. The Speaker is scheduled to take up the disqualification case involving Kadiyam Srihari very soon.
Later speaking to the media, Maheshwar Reddy alleged that there was sufficient material for the Speaker to take suo motu action in the Danam Nagender case. He accused both the BRS and the Congress of “acting in tandem” and staging a political drama.
The BJP MLA said advocates had questioned if BRS had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that Nagender was suspended from the party and why such an affidavit had not been disclosed earlier. He also questioned why the Congress was prolonging the matter.