Who Is B Sudershan Reddy, INDIA Bloc's Vice-President Candidate?

The Opposition INDIA alliance named retired Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the September 9 Vice-Presidential elections.

“All INDIA bloc parties have decided to have a common candidate; the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all Opposition parties have agreed on one name. It is a big achievement for democracy,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, announcing Reddy’s candidature.

Who Is B Sudershan Reddy?

At 79, Justice B Sudershan Reddy carries with him the legacy of a long judicial career and a continued role in public life. Born in Akula Mylaram village in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district on the outskirts of Hyderabad, he served in the Supreme Court of India from January 2007 to July 2011. Most recently, he chaired the Independent Expert Working Group (IEWG) set up by the Telangana government to study and report on the state’s Social, Educational, Economic, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey.

Reddy’s legal journey began at Osmania University, where he earned his law degree in 1971. He later became Government Pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court and went on to lead the AP High Court Advocates Association as its president. Appointed as an additional judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1993, he rose to become Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2007.

After retiring, he briefly served as Lokayukta of Goa in 2013, though he resigned within five months citing personal reasons. He has since held positions of trust, including on the board of trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad. In 2022, the Supreme Court appointed him oversight authority for the Comprehensive Environmental Plan for Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ), tasked with monitoring the restoration of Karnataka’s mining-affected districts of Ballari, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru.

In March this year, the Telangana government appointed him to lead the committee assessing its caste survey, a role that brought him into closer contact with senior Congress leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu and ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar. Officials said Justice Reddy’s report offered vital insights into the state’s caste dynamics, shaping the government’s understanding of social and political realities.