Apex Court to deliver final judgement on the case on Sep.17

metro india news  I hyderabad

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has cancelled the nominations of Professor M. Kodandaram, President of Telangana Jana Samithi, and Amer Ali Khan, News Editor of The Siasat Daily, as Members of the Telangana Legislative Council (MLCs) under the Governor’s quota. 

The apex court’s latest decision halts the current appointments and mandates that fresh nominations for the two MLC seats will be subject to its final judgment, expected on September 17, 2025.

The decision stems from a legal challenge initiated by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders Dasoju Sravan Kumar and Kurra Satyanarayana, whose own nominations for the same MLC seats were rejected by then-Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan in September 2023.

The Supreme Court’s verdict modifies its earlier interim order dated August 14, 2024, which had stayed a Telangana High Court ruling. The High Court had previously quashed the appointments of Kodandaram and Khan and also set aside the Governor’s rejection of Sravan and Satyanarayana’s nominations, citing procedural irregularities. 

The controversy surrounding these nominations began when the Congress government, in late 2023, recommended Kodandaram and Khan for the MLC positions, citing their contributions to public life and journalism, respectively. However, BRS leaders contested the decision, arguing that the rejection of their nominations by the Governor was arbitrary and that the subsequent appointments violate established norms for the Governor’s quota, which is intended for individuals with distinguished contributions in fields such as literature, science, art, cooperative movement, or social service.

This ruling has sparked significant political reactions in Telangana, with debates centering on the discretionary powers of the Governor in MLC appointments and the legal framework governing such nominations. The Supreme Court has directed all parties to maintain the status quo until the final hearing, emphasizing that any new nominations must await the court’s conclusive decision. This development underscores the ongoing tension between the state government and opposition parties over the appointment process for the Telangana Legislative Council.