The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the state government and four ministers on a petition challenging their induction in the state cabinet.
The notices were issued to N. Amarnath Reddy, C. Adinarayana Reddy, R.S. Krishna Ranga Rao and Bhuma Akhila Priya, who were inducted into the cabinet in April after they defected to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the YSR Congress Party.
The High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a journalist Sivaprasad Reddy, challenging their induction.
The petitioner argued that the induction of defected legislators in the ministry was unconstitutional.
While admitting the petition for hearing, the High Court issued notices to the government and the four ministers, asking them to file counter affidavits.
The High Court adjourned the hearing by four weeks.
The court is also hearing a separate PIL by the same petitioner challenging the induction of T. Srinivas Yadav in the Telangana cabinet.
Srinivas Yadav, who was elected as a legislator of the TDP, was made a minister after he switched loyalties to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
In April this year, YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy met with President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi over the issue.
Stating that Naidu had "no respect for the constitution and the democratic spirit", Jagan alleged that the TDP was welcoming defectors with open arms, on the assurance that they would not be disqualified.
“Mr Naidu, shockingly, let loose a reign of terror using the police against opposition and it is to the knowledge of everybody that the National Council for Applied Economic Research ranked AP under Mr Naidu as the most corrupt state in India,” a letter submitted to the President, stated.
He also pointed out that Naidu had cried foul when the TRS government had inducted MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who defected to their party from the TDP, into the Telangana Cabinet in December 2014.
IANS inputs