Former Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender on Monday approached the Supreme Court, challenging a Telangana High Court order that disqualified him as an MLA following his defection to the ruling Congress.
The high court had set aside an order of the Assembly Speaker in March this year dismissing petitions seeking his disqualification.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was informed by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Nagender, that the MLA was seeking an urgent hearing of his plea. The Supreme Court agreed to list the matter for an urgent hearing.
The High Court had declared Nagender, the MLA from Khairatabad, disqualified from April 23, 2024. He had contested the 2024 Secunderabad Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket while serving as a BRS MLA.
The order was passed on petitions filed by BJP floor leader in the Telangana Assembly Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy.
The petitioners had sought to set aside the Speaker’s order and declare Nagender disqualified as per the 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution from the date he filed his nomination affidavit for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On March 11, Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar had dismissed the petitions seeking Nagender’s disqualification as an MLA.
(With inputs from PTI)