Supreme Court upholds Telangana High Court’s disqualification order; former MLA says he is ready to contest again
Hyderabad, Sept 2026 : Former Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his plea challenging his disqualification under the anti-defection law and said he was confident of winning the forthcoming by-election from the constituency.
The Supreme Court dismissed Nagender’s petition challenging the September 18 Telangana High Court judgment that disqualified him as an MLA. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana held that the High Court had correctly interpreted the law and found no ground to interfere with its decision.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Nagender said he welcomed the Supreme Court order and maintained that he had anticipated having to face another election. He said there was nothing wrong in pursuing a legal battle and expressed readiness to contest the by-election.
Nagender said he believed he continued to enjoy the support of voters in Khairatabad and described the constituency as his political stronghold. He said he had been elected from the constituency three times and recalled that he had also lost a previous by-election by a margin of around 1,600 votes.
The former minister said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would take the final decision on whether he would be fielded by the Congress in the by-election. Nagender, however, did not disclose which party he would contest for, leaving the question of the Congress ticket open.
The Supreme Court verdict followed a legal battle that began after the Telangana High Court overturned an earlier decision of Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. The Speaker had dismissed petitions seeking Nagender’s disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The High Court, in its September 18 judgment, held that Nagender incurred disqualification after contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Secunderabad constituency as a Congress candidate while continuing as a BRS MLA. It set aside the Speaker’s order and declared the Khairatabad Assembly seat vacant.
The High Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin, held that Nagender stood disqualified with effect from April 23, 2024, the date on which he filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate. The court directed that copies of its order be communicated to the Telangana Legislative Assembly and the Election Commission of India.
Nagender had been elected from Khairatabad on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. He subsequently switched allegiance to the Congress and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket while continuing to hold his Assembly seat.
He was among 10 BRS MLAs who shifted allegiance to the ruling Congress after the 2023 Assembly elections. The BRS had approached the authorities seeking disqualification of all 10 legislators. The Speaker subsequently rejected the disqualification petitions. Separate legal challenges have since been filed in connection with the other legislators as well.
The petitions that led to the High Court’s intervention in Nagender’s case were filed by BJP Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy. They challenged the Speaker’s March 11, 2026 decision dismissing the disqualification petitions against Nagender.
Nagender subsequently approached the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition, seeking to overturn the High Court judgment. His counsel argued against the application of the anti-defection provisions, but the apex court found no basis to interfere with the High Court’s interpretation.
With the Supreme Court dismissing the challenge, the Khairatabad Assembly seat remains vacant and the way is clear for a by-election. Nagender has already indicated that he is prepared to return to the electoral contest.
The former MLA said his decision to pursue the legal challenge was part of his right to seek judicial relief. He also pointed to his electoral history in Khairatabad while expressing confidence about the next contest.
The Supreme Court ruling has therefore brought the immediate legal challenge to Nagender’s Assembly membership to an end, while shifting the focus to the political contest for the vacant Khairatabad seat. The question of the candidates and the election schedule will be decided through the electoral process.
