In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed the jurisdiction of courts over disqualification petitions filed under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. A Congress MLA from Manipur defected to join the BJP-led government shortly after elections, prompting multiple disqualification petitions before the Speaker. When the Speaker failed to decide despite nearly two years of inaction, the petitioner sought a writ of quo warranto to remove the MLA. The Court held that while the Speaker has exclusive authority to decide disqualification matters, he must do so within three months; the Court cannot issue quo warranto but can compel the Speaker to decide promptly. The High Court judgment was partly set aside, and the Speaker was directed to decide pending petitions within four weeks.
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