Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Supreme Court Upholds MLA Disqualification, Khairatabad Faces By-Election
The Supreme Court agreed that Danam Nagender should lose his position as Khairatabad MLA.
He had won the seat for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and later joined the Indian National Congress.
He also contested a national parliamentary seat for Congress while still serving as a BRS MLA.
The court said the Telangana High Court had interpreted the law correctly.
This means Khairatabad may need a new election.
The decision could also increase pressure to examine nine other MLAs who changed parties.
However, their cases may be different because the same evidence is not publicly available for them.
The new election will show how voters view the major parties.
The Supreme Court upheld the Telangana High Court’s decision to disqualify Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender.
Nagender was elected on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi ticket before joining the Indian National Congress.
His contesting the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket while remaining a BRS MLA was central to the case.
The ruling could pressure Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad to decide on nine other MLAs who switched parties.
A Khairatabad by-election is expected to test the strength of the Congress, BRS and Bharatiya Janata Party.
- Who
- The Supreme Court of India, Danam Nagender, the Telangana High Court and Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad are central to the matter.
- What
- The Supreme Court upheld Danam Nagender’s disqualification as Khairatabad MLA, clearing the way for a by-election.
- When
- The ruling came before several Telangana local, legislative and corporation elections that are described as being on the horizon.
- Where
- The case concerns the Khairatabad Assembly constituency in Telangana and the Telangana High Court’s ruling.
- Why
- The court found no reason to interfere with the High Court’s interpretation of the law; Nagender had contested the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat for Congress while still being a BRS MLA.
Ruling’s Immediate Implications
Limits on Applying the Ruling
Disqualification cases
Ruling’s Immediate Implications
The Supreme Court upheld the Telangana High Court’s decision, and the ruling may pressure the Speaker to act on other MLAs who crossed over from the BRS to Congress.
Limits on Applying the Ruling
The nine other cases cannot automatically be decided on the same basis because no comparable evidence is currently available in the public domain; each case would need separate examination.
Khairatabad election outlook
Ruling’s Immediate Implications
The Congress may benefit from being in power and from its recent by-election wins, and could consider giving Nagender the party ticket.
Limits on Applying the Ruling
The BRS faces an internal contest over its ticket, while the BJP may field former Khairatabad MLA Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, making the by-election a competitive test.
- Disqualified MLA
- Danam Nagender
- Constituency
- Khairatabad Assembly constituency
- Previous party
- Bharat Rashtra Samithi
- Later party
- Indian National Congress
- Supreme Court bench
- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana
- Potential consequence
- A fresh election in Khairatabad
- Other MLAs under scrutiny
- Nine MLAs who left the BRS for Congress