Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has temporarily halted the swearing-in of M. Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan as members of the state Legislative Council. The court’s interim order, in response to petitions filed by BRS leaders Dasoju Sravan Kumar and Satyanarayana, directs the maintenance of the status quo on the two MLC vacancies until further notice. The petitions challenge the Governor’s rejection of their nominations last year, and the court’s decision will remain in force until February 8, when the petitions are scheduled for a hearing.
The controversy arises from Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan’s nominations of Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan, made on January 25. The ruling Congress alleges intentional delay by the Council Chairman, Gutha Sukender Reddy, who belongs to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), in administering the oath. The BRS leaders had been previously nominated to the Legislative Council by the BRS government, but the Governor rejected their nominations, citing them as “politically aligned persons.” The petitioners argue that the rejection was arbitrary, unconstitutional, and beyond the Governor’s jurisdiction, emphasizing the lack of personal satisfaction as the basis for the decision.