Telangana Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar has issued a notice to MLA Kadiyam Srihari after the BRS filed a disqualification petition accusing him of shifting loyalty to the ruling Congress. The Speaker asked him to respond by November 23. However, Srihari has requested additional time to file his reply, according to official sources. He is one of ten BRS legislators facing similar petitions.
This development comes soon after the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to the Speaker on November 17. The court pulled up the Telangana Assembly for not acting on its earlier order to decide the disqualification cases within three months. That order was issued on July 31 by a bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai. The bench described the delay as the “grossest kind of contempt” and directed the Speaker and officials to explain their non-compliance.
During the recent hearing, lawyers representing the Speaker’s office informed the court that four petitions have completed the hearing stage. Evidence recording has concluded in three other cases. The court has now posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks. At the same time, the Speaker’s office has also sought an extension of eight more weeks to finish the process.
Kadiyam Srihari remains a key political figure in Telangana. His daughter, Kadiyam Kavya also won the Warangal Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in the 2024 elections.
