Hyderabad: Danam Nagender verdict has left the Khairatabad Assembly seat vacant after the Supreme Court upheld his disqualification on Thursday. A three-judge bench found no reason to interfere with the Telangana High Court ruling under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court dismissed Nagender’s plea challenging the High Court order. The bench comprised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. The High Court had disqualified Nagender from April 23, 2024, and declared the Khairatabad seat vacant.
Nagender won the Khairatabad Assembly seat as a BRS candidate in the 2023 Telangana elections. In 2024, he contested the Secunderabad Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate while continuing as a BRS MLA. The High Court treated this as grounds for disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The High Court had earlier set aside an order passed by Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. The Speaker had dismissed petitions seeking Nagender’s disqualification. BJP leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy had approached the court against that decision.
Danam Nagender verdict sets stage for Khairatabad by-election
The Supreme Court’s decision keeps the High Court order in force. As a result, Nagender no longer holds the Khairatabad Assembly seat, which will require a fresh election.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy had earlier welcomed the High Court ruling. He said the judgment should serve as a lesson for Congress and BRS and stressed the importance of respecting voters’ mandates.
Reddy also criticised what he described as “opportunistic” politics involving party defections. His remarks came after the High Court disqualified Nagender under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court ruling now closes Nagender’s legal challenge to the High Court decision. The vacancy in Khairatabad follows the court’s finding that his disqualification took effect from April 23, 2024.
