Who is Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy? India Bloc’s Pick for Vice-President Candidate
The opposition India Bloc on Monday nominated former Supreme Court judge and Goa's first Lokayukta, Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, as its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election.
Hyderabad: The opposition India Bloc on Monday nominated former Supreme Court judge and Goa’s first Lokayukta, Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, as its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election.
Justice Reddy’s tenure on the Supreme Court bench included several landmark judgments, most notably the striking down of Salwa Judum—a vigilante movement of tribals armed to resist Maoists—as unconstitutional. He also served as the chairman of the Telangana Census Committee.
Born on July 8, 1946, in Akola Melaram village (now part of Ibrahimpatnam taluka, currently Kandakur revenue mandal, Rangareddy district, Telangana), Justice Reddy rose from humble beginnings in an agricultural family to hold some of the highest positions in India’s judiciary.
After earning his law degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1971, he was admitted as an advocate to the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh. He began his legal practice under senior advocate K. Pratap Reddy and soon gained prominence in writ and civil matters before the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Justice Reddy served as Government Pleader in the High Court (1988–90), handling revenue matters, and briefly as Additional Standing Counsel to the Central Government in 1990. He also held several leadership roles, including President of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates’ Association in 1993, and contributed to academic initiatives at Osmania University.
He was appointed a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 2 May 1995, elevated to Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in December 2005, and subsequently appointed to the Supreme Court of India on 12 January 2007, where he served until 7 July 2011.
Congress leader Praveen Chakraborty praised him, saying:
“Justice Sudarshan Reddy is the ultimate champion of civil liberties, institutional integrity, and social justice. I can personally vouch for this, having worked very closely with him as the convener of the Telangana Caste Census Expert Group, of which he was the chairman.”
After retirement, Justice Reddy continued his public service as the first Lokayukta of Goa, appointed in March 2013 following the enactment of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act.
With a judicial and public service career spanning over four decades, Justice Sudarshan Reddy is widely regarded as a legal luminary committed to constitutional values, education, and social justice.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appealed to all Left parties of the South—including BRS, TDP, AIMIM, YSRCP, and Jana Sena—to unite in support of Justice Reddy.
“This is not a matter of Left or Right but about saving the Constitution of India,” the Chief Minister said, urging all parties to work together.
