Daanam Nagender Moves Supreme Court Against Telangana HC Disqualification Order

Khairatabad MLA Daanam Nagender has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Telangana High Court order that declared him disqualified as a member of the state Legislative Assembly.

Nagender filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court on Saturday afternoon, seeking relief against the High Court verdict. The petition is expected to come up for hearing on Sunday, according to information available.

The development comes after BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy filed a caveat in the case, anticipating that Nagender might approach the Supreme Court. A caveat seeks to ensure that no order is passed in a matter without giving the concerned party an opportunity to be heard.

Nagender's decision to approach the apex court also marks a change from his position stated on Friday. Following the High Court verdict, he had welcomed the order and said he was ready to contest and win if a by-election was announced. He had also indicated that he had no plans to approach the Supreme Court. He has now challenged the verdict before the apex court.

Nagender was elected as an MLA from Khairatabad on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. The BRS later approached the Assembly Speaker seeking his disqualification, alleging that he had defected to the Congress.

Following directions from the Supreme Court, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar conducted proceedings on the disqualification petitions. On March 11, the Speaker rejected the petitions, holding that there was insufficient legal basis to disqualify Nagender.

The order was subsequently challenged in the Telangana High Court by BJP floor leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy. The petitioners argued that Nagender had joined the Congress and had also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate, citing this among the evidence of his alleged defection.

They sought his disqualification under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule, which deals with disqualification on the ground of voluntarily giving up membership of a political party.

The High Court set aside the Speaker's March 11 order and held that Nagender stood disqualified as an MLA with effect from April 23, 2024. The court's ruling has now prompted Nagender to seek relief from the Supreme Court.

The apex court's response to the SLP will determine the next legal course in the matter, including the status of Nagender's Assembly membership and any possible further proceedings.