New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Telangana Assembly Speaker to reply to it within a week, the time he would require to deal with the disqualification petitions relating to turncoat MLAs who joined the TRS.

The Supreme Court was hearing the petition filed by Congress MLA Sampath kumar last year. The Supreme Court was approached by the petitioner to direct the Telangana Assembly Speaker to look into the petitions filed by the Congress Party to disqualify the Congress MLAs who joined the TRS party according to the Anti-Defection Law.

A similar petition seeking the disqualification of TDP MLAs who joined the TRS, was filed by the then TDP MLA Errabelli Dayakar Rao before the Telangana Assembly Speaker. This was however withdrawn by him as he himself left the TDP to join the TRS party.

The Supreme Court Justices Kurien Joseph and Rohingtan Fali Nariman heard the arguments on this case on Wednesday.

The legal counsel on behalf of the government requested more time from the Supreme Court as his senior counsel and Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi was presently indisposed and also due to the fact that other parties to the case had not received notices. Responding to this the petitioner's counsel Jandyala Ravishankar alleged that there was no truth in the government counsel's claim and insisted that it was only a delay tactic.

He informed the honourable Court that the petitioner had personally handed over the said petition to the Assembly Speaker in the Assembly premises itself and that the issue have been widely telecasted in the news channels.

He also stated that the petitioner had approached the High Court last year with the same petition and though the government gave assurance that the Assembly Speaker would look into their petition seeking disqualification of the turncoat MLAs, they have so far failed to deal with it.

Justice Kurien then ordered that the fifth defendant should reply in a week, the time he would require to deal with the disqualification petitions. While posting the next hearing to November 8, justice Kurien advised all the concerned parties to come prepared with their responses.