New Delhi/Bhopal: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker to decide within two months the disqualification petition against Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre, who was elected on a Congress ticket in 2023 but later extended support to the ruling BJP.
The direction came on a petition filed by Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, seeking Sapre’s disqualification under the anti-defection law.
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The order puts a deadline on proceedings that have remained pending before the Assembly Speaker for over two years, Singhar’s media department said confirming the report.
Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for Singhar, argued the matter before the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, the court stressed the need for timely decisions in cases arising under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification of legislators on grounds of defection.
The court observed that such petitions should be decided expeditiously and cannot be kept pending indefinitely.
It directed the Assembly Speaker to take a decision on the disqualification petition within two months.
The direction does not mean that Sapre has been disqualified. The question of her continuation as an MLA will be decided by the Assembly Speaker in accordance with the constitutional provisions.
Sapre was elected from the Bina Assembly constituency in Sagar district in the November 2023 Assembly elections as a Congress candidate. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha election campaign, she appeared at a BJP programme in Sagar in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and expressed support for the ruling party.
The Congress subsequently accused her of defecting and approached the Assembly Speaker seeking her disqualification.
Singhar maintained that Sapre had voluntarily given up her membership of the party on whose ticket she had won the election, attracting the provisions of the anti-defection law.
Sapre, however, has denied formally joining the BJP or resigning from the Congress.
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The Congress later approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court, seeking an early decision on the disqualification petition.
However, the High Court did not grant the requested time-bound relief, following which Singhar moved the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s latest direction requires the Speaker to complete the decision-making process within the stipulated two-month period.