Umang Singhar vs Nirmala Sapre Disqualification Row: MP High Court Issues Notice to Speaker, BJP MLA Sapre

The Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur on November 7, 2025 issued notices to the Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly and MLA Nirmala Sapre on a petition filed by Umang Singhar, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader, alleging undue delay in deciding a disqualification plea filed against Sapre under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf passed the order on Singhar's petition, filed through Advocates Vibhor Khandelwal and Jayesh Gurnani, which challenges the Speaker’s inaction on a disqualification plea pending since June 30, 2024.

In his plea, Singhar stated that Nirmala Sapre, elected to the Legislative Assembly as an Indian National Congress (INC) candidate, defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after her election, thereby violating the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, commonly known as the Anti-Defection Law. He contended that such conduct attracted disqualification from membership of the House, yet no decision was taken by the Speaker for over four months.

Arguing for the petitioner, the counsel submitted that the Speaker is constitutionally bound to decide disqualification petitions within a reasonable period, as mandated by the Supreme Court. He referred to the judgments of Padi Kaushik Reddy v. State of Telangana (2025), in which the apex court stressed that such petitions should be decided “as expeditiously as possible,” and Keisham Meghachandra Singh v. Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly (2021), which recommended a three-month timeframe for deciding such matters.

The counsel emphasized that the Speaker’s delay in adjudicating the disqualification plea undermines the sanctity of the anti-defection law, which aims to prevent political defections and ensure stability in the democratic system.

Appearing for the State, Advocate General Prashant Singh, assisted by Deputy Advocate General Vivek Sharma, opposed the petition, arguing that the High Court has very limited jurisdiction in such matters. Judicial review is not maintainable unless the Speaker has rendered a decision, Singh submitted. He also clarified that he was not appearing for the Speaker and was therefore unable to confirm the current status of the petition filed before the Assembly.

After hearing both sides, the High Court issued notice to the Speaker and Mrs. Nirmala Sapre, calling upon them to respond to the averments made in the writ petition. Notice to the State was accepted in court. The matter has been made returnable on November 18, 2025, for further proceedings.

Case Title: Umang Singhar vs State of Madhya Pradesh and Others

Order Date: November 7, 2025

Bench: Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf