Telangana High Court Asks State Legislature To Reply On Suspension BJP MLAs

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday sought the reply of the State Legislature on three BJP MLAs' appeal challenging their suspension from Assembly. The High court was hearing a petition filed by three BJP MLAs Eatala Rajender, T. Raja Singh and Raghunandan Rao who were suspended from the House by Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy for the entire session. 

Counsel Prakash Reddy appearing for the petitioners argued against their suspension. He said that the BJP MLAs were suspended by violating the Legislative Assembly and the Constitution. While the petitioners alleged their suspension was pre-planned. 

The petitioners sought direction from the court to allow them to attend the entire session. It may be recalled that the three BJP MLAs were suspended from the House as they protested the state government’s decision to skip the customary address by the Governor at the start of the Budget Session. As the BJP members continued to register their protest while Finance Minister Harish Rao was presenting the budget, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav moved a motion to suspend the three MLAs. 

The BJP legislators, who had filed a writ petition in the high court against their suspension from the house, requested the court to declare the action of the Legislature secretary for suspending them as illegal and in violation of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure and conduct of business, as well as Articles 14, 21, and 194 of the Constitution. While the Advocate General B.S. Prasad submitted to the court not to intervene in the legislative affairs. The court heard the arguments of both parties and after issuing a notice to the Legislature Secretary, adjourned the hearing to Thursday.