The Opposition INDIA bloc on Monday named former Judge of the Supreme Court and the first Lokayukta of Goa, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy as the candidate for the Vice-Presidential election.
Justice Reddy’s tenure on the Supreme Court Bench included participation in several landmark rulings, notably outlawing of Salwa Judum, a group of tribal persons mobilised for resistance against Maoists. He was also the ex-chairman of Telangana census committee.
Born on July 8, 1946, in Akula Mylaram village, then part of Ibrahimpatnam Taluq (now Kandukur Revenue Mandal, Rangareddy District, Telangana), Justice Reddy rose from humble beginnings in an agricultural family to occupy some of the highest offices in India’s judicial system.
After completing his law degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1971, he enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh. He began his legal practice under Shri K. Pratap Reddy, Senior Advocate, and soon gained prominence in writ and civil matters before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.
His government assignments included serving as Government Pleader in the High Court (1988–90), where he handled revenue matters, and a brief tenure as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central Government in 1990. Justice Reddy also held several positions in the legal and academic fields, including President of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates Association (1993-94) and Legal Adviser and Standing Counsel for Osmania University.
On May 2, 1995, he was appointed a permanent Judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. A decade later, he was elevated as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court (December 2005). His distinguished judicial career culminated in his appointment to the Supreme Court of India on January 12, 2007, where he served until July 7, 2011.
Justice Reddy’s tenure on the Supreme Court Bench included participation in several landmark rulings, notably the Salwa Judum case, where the Court struck down the practice of deploying tribal youth as Special Police Officers against Maoist insurgency, terming it unconstitutional.
“Justice Sudershen Reddy is the ultimate champion of civil liberties, institutional integrity & social justice. I can personally vouch for it, having worked very closely with him as the Convenor of the Expert Group for Telangana Caste Census, of which he was the Chairman,” Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty said.
After retirement, he continued in public service as the first Lokayukta of Goa, appointed in March 2013 following the enactment of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act.
With a career spanning four decades in the judiciary and public service, Justice Sudershan Reddy is widely regarded as a legal luminary committed to constitutional values, education, and social justice.
