On Wednesday, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant heard the matter. The bench also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan. During the hearing, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s approach to the request for an early decision on the disqualification petition against Nirmala Sapre.
The case dates back to July 2024, when Umang Singhar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, filed a disqualification petition against Nirmala Sapre. The petition alleges that Sapre voluntarily gave up her membership of the Congress party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It is worth noting that Nirmala Sapre was elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the 2023 state elections on a Congress ticket. Subsequently, questions were raised over her alleged defection, and demands were made to terminate her legislative membership under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court has given the Assembly Speaker a two-month deadline and made it clear that disqualification petitions should not remain pending indefinitely. It stressed that timely decisions are essential in matters covered under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Following the Supreme Court’s directive, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker must now deliver a decision on the disqualification petition against Nirmala Sapre within the prescribed period. The decision could clarify the ongoing dispute over her status as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
