High Court Serves Notice to 20 Defected YSRCP MLAs 

Hyderabad: The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad issued notices to 20 YSR Congress Party MLAs, who defected to Telugu Desam Party after they won elections on the YSRCP ticket.

Hearings in the case began here on Monday on the issue of defected MLAs following a petition filed by YSRCP MLA Y Visweswara Reddy (Uravakonda). The latter had stated in his petition that the Assembly speaker did not take any action against the party MLAs despite a demand by YSRCP to disqualify them. The Court asked the MLAs named in the petition to give their explanation within four weeks. Meanwhile, the Advocate General argued that the case is pending in the Supreme Court, and is therefore not eligible for hearing here. But the Court dismissed his arguments.

It may be recalled that Congress MLA Sampath Kumar filed a petition in Supreme Court in the wake of the MLAs joining the ruling TRS in Telangana from other parties. The petition was transferred to the Constitutional bench. The Supreme Court then questioned the delay in taking action against the defected MLA. Analysts state that the Supreme Court comments on the issue are applicable to all defected MLAs from all states, who switch loyalites to other parties.

Meanwhile, the High Court adjourned further hearings to four weeks in the defection case of YSRCP MLAs.