SC to hear Telangana MLA’s plea against disqualification on Sept 23

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Wednesday a petition filed by Telangana MLA Danam Nagender challenging his disqualification as a member of Telangana legislative assembly for contesting the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 as a Congress candidate even when he continued to remain as MLA belonging to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).Nagender was among 10 BRS legislators who switched to the Congress after winning their assembly seats in the 2023 Telangana elections. (HT Photo)SC agrees to urgent hearing on Nagender’s pleaChief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant permitted urgent listing after the matter was mentioned by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for Nagender. The high court order passed on September 18 disqualified Nagender’s continuation as MLA with effect from April 2024. This period corresponds with the time he contested for the Lok Sabha polls from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket.The BRS moved a disqualification plea against Nagender that was dismissed by Telangana Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA A Maheshwar Reddy had challenged the Speaker’s order before the high court.Senior advocate P Mohith Rao, on behalf of Kaushik Reddy, stated he filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, asking it to hear the BRS version before taking up the hearing on Nagender’s plea. “In any case, the Supreme Court may not stay the high court order,” he said.On the other hand, Maheshwar Reddy said he, too, moved the Supreme Court with a caveat to ensure he was heard before any interim relief or stay was granted. “We shall fight the case till the logical end,” Reddy said.Also read: BRS women MLAs file complaint with NHRC, NCW over ill treatment by policeNagender among BRS MLAs who joined CongressThe decision disqualifying Nagender created a flutter in the state, with the BJP and BRS targeting Congress for accommodating turncoat politicians. Nagender won on a BRS ticket from the Khairatabad assembly constituency in 2023 and was part of 10 BRS legislators who defected to the Congress.His disqualification is a setback for the remaining eight MLAs as one among them has since joined the BRS fold. The high court order passed by a bench of chief justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and justice GM Mohiuddin held that with the disqualification of Nagender, the Khairatabad seat fell vacant with effect from April 23, 2024.Also read: 22 BRS MLAs suspended from Telangana Assembly over ‘disrupting’ proceedingsNagender sought time to approach Supreme CourtFollowing the high court order, Nagender requested that the order be deferred temporarily to allow him to challenge it in the top court. The high court declined the request, forcing him to approach the top court.To be sure, the issue of delay by the Telangana Speaker in deciding the disqualification plea against the rebel BRS legislators, including Nagender, was heard and decided by the top court last year. In July 2025, the court set a three-month deadline to decide the disqualification pleas. When this order was not complied with, the BRS legislators filed contempt petitions in the top court, which led to the Speaker passing orders. The Speaker’s order in favour of Nagender was passed in March this year.(With inputs from Srinivasa Rao Apparasu)