SC sets 3-month deadline for Telangana speaker to decide on BRS MLAs' disqualification
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Telangana assembly speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petitions against 10 BRS MLAs, who had switched allegiance to the ruling Congress.
Observing that political defections have been a matter of national discourse and have power to disrupt democracy if not curbed, a bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai allowed an appeal filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Padi Kaushik Reddy seeking a directing to the speaker to expeditiously decide disqualification petitions against the BRS MLAs.
The bench set aside the November 22, 2024 decision of the Telangana High Court’s division bench which had interfered with a prior order of a single judge.
“We have referred to various parliamentary speeches, including those by Rajesh Pilot and Devendra Nath Munshi, to emphasise that entrusting disqualification proceedings to the speaker were aimed at avoiding delays that may occur before courts,” the CJI said while reading out the judgement.
The judgement asked the speaker not to allow the MLAs to prolong the disqualification proceedings.
It asked the speaker to draw adverse inferences if the MLAs protracted proceedings.
The top court said the assembly speaker acts as a tribunal while deciding pleas for defections and hence, the office does not enjoy constitutional immunity.
The detailed judgement is awaited.
The top court had reserved the verdict on April 3.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
