Nirmala Sapre Disqualification: Supreme Court Gives MP Speaker 2 Months

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 4 November, directed the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker to decide, within two months, a petition seeking the disqualification of Congress MLA Nirmala Sapre under the anti-defection law. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana first suggested three months and cut it to two after senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing in the matter, asked for a shorter period, according to Indian Opinion.

A Petition Pending Since June 2024

Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar filed the petition. He alleges that Sapre, elected on a Congress ticket in the 2023 Assembly polls, gave up her party membership and aligned with the BJP without resigning her seat. Sapre denies both claims, the report said.

The petition has been before the Speaker since June 2024. In June 2026 the Madhya Pradesh High Court declined to speed it up, citing no urgency and two years left in the Assembly’s term. The Supreme Court did not agree with that view.

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What the Two-Month Window Means

The order puts a time limit on a decision that has been waiting for more than two years. The Speaker must now rule on whether Sapre is disqualified; the order does not say how. Any ruling by the Speaker can itself be challenged in court.

The deadline runs to early January 2027. IPB has earlier covered how the Supreme Court has handled political and electoral disputes in recent weeks.

Source: Based on reporting by Indian Opinion.

Image: PTI / File photo.