Supreme Court Makes Key Remarks on Delay in MPs’ Disqualification Petitions

The Supreme Court examined the issue of Speakers taking years to decide disqualification petitions involving MPs and MLAs who have defected from their political parties. During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that before issuing guidelines to others, the court should also look at itself in the mirror. He also said that before imposing strict timelines on Speakers, the pending cases before courts should also be taken into consideration.

The hearing focused on the prolonged pendency of disqualification petitions filed against MPs and MLAs under the anti-defection framework. The Supreme Court discussed the possibility of prescribing a specific timeframe for Speakers to decide such petitions while also pointing to the need to consider the broader issue of cases pending before the judiciary.