The Supreme Court has directed Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to decide within two months the petition seeking disqualification of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre over her alleged defection from the Congress to the BJP. The case has remained pending for two-and-a-half years.
The petition was filed by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar in 2024. The Supreme Court said defection cases under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution should be decided without undue delay. It said the responsibility for timely disposal continues even when the High Court does not consider immediate intervention necessary. Senior advocate Vivek Tankha represented Singhar.
Sapre was elected from Bina on a Congress ticket in the 2023 Assembly elections. During the Lok Sabha election campaign, on May 5, 2024, she attended a programme addressed by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at Rahatgarh in Sagar district. She publicly announced that she was joining the BJP, and party leaders welcomed her.
Sapre cited a remark by Congress state president Jitu Patwari about former minister Imarti Devi as the reason for leaving the party. She said she wanted to work towards getting Bina recognised as a district.
On June 30, 2024, Singhar submitted a petition to Speaker Tomar seeking Sapre’s disqualification. The Congress alleged that no concrete action had been taken within 90 days and approached the courts, arguing that her announcement and public appearance with BJP leaders amounted to defection.
Singhar later moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court. In November 2025, it issued notices to the Speaker and Sapre, seeking their responses. During a hearing in June 2026, Sapre told the High Court that she had neither left the Congress nor joined the BJP.
On June 25, 2026, the High Court dismissed Singhar’s petition, observing that documents establishing her formal resignation from the Congress or membership of the BJP had not been produced. It noted that the matter was pending before the Speaker and declined to intervene.
The Congress challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court. Bar and Bench shared details of the direction on X, and Tankha reposted the update.
Welcoming the direction, Singhar said it would strengthen democratic values and the dignity of the Constitution. He said voters had elected Sapre on a Congress ticket and that those who betray the public mandate must be held accountable under the anti-defection law. He expressed hope that the Speaker would deliver an impartial decision.