B. Sudershan Reddy

B. Sudershan Reddy (born July 8, 1946, Akula Mylaram [now in Telangana], India) is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India who was nominated as the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc’s candidate for vice president in 2025. He has also served as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and as the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court.

Education and career

Born in a village in the Andhra region, Reddy is from an agricultural family. He studied in Hyderabad and received a law degree from Osmania University in 1971, enrolling as an advocate on December 27 that year with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh.

He practiced civil and constitutional law at the Andhra Pradesh High Court, apprenticing under well-known advocate K. Pratap Reddy, and he took on several other legal roles, including government pleader (1988–90), additional standing counsel for the Government of India (1990), and legal adviser to Osmania University. He was later elected president of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates’ Association.

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On May 2, 1995, Reddy was appointed permanent judge at the Andhra Pradesh High Court, a post he held for a decade. He went on to serve as the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court from 2005 to January 2007, when he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India. He retired from that post four and a half years later, in July 2011.

Thereafter Reddy continued to take up public responsibilities. In March 2013 he was appointed the first lokayukta of Goa, an ombudsman tasked with investigating corruption in the state. However, he stepped down from the post the following September, citing personal reasons.

Nevertheless, he has remained engaged in legal and civic matters. He serves on the board of trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad, where he lends his expertise to encourage finding means other than court cases to settle issues.

Reddy also led an 11-member independent expert working group that examined the findings of the Telangana government’s Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey of 2024. The group’s report became the basis for the government’s proposal to reserve 42 percent of seats for Backward Classes in local body elections.

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Nomination for vice president

All parties in the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc, including the Indian National Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, selected Reddy as their nominee for vice president of India in August 2025, following the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar the previous month. Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the nomination, framing it as an ideological contest against the ruling National Democratic Alliance’s candidate, C.P. Radhakrishnan. Radhakrishnan, a longtime Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Tamil Nadu and formerly the governor of Maharashtra, went on to win the vice president election in September 2025.

Key cases and judgments

Reddy has been regarded as a judge who combined constitutional idealism with an emphasis on accountability and respect for civil liberties. Here are some of the notable cases he has overseen.

• Kamma Bapuji case (1997): As a high court judge, Reddy laid down safeguards against police misuse of “rowdy sheets” (police station records of the names of people who the police have charged with a crime), stressing due process and protection against unjustified surveillance. The ruling has been cited for curbing arbitrary police labeling. It signaled Reddy’s early focus on civil liberties and procedural fairness.
• Rajya Sabha inquiry into Justice Soumitra Sen (2010): Reddy chaired a three-member panel formed by the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament) chair to examine allegations of financial impropriety against the Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen. The committee found the charges proved, paving the way for impeachment proceedings. Sen later resigned and was not impeached. Though not a court judgment, it was a major accountability exercise led by Reddy.
• Judicial transparency and RTI (2010): On November 26, 2010, Reddy referred to a larger bench the question of whether judges’ asset declarations fall under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He framed the constitutional balance between openness and judicial independence. The referral advanced key questions on transparency in the higher judiciary.
• Reliance gas dispute (2010): As part of the Supreme Court bench in the dispute between Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Natural Resources Limited led by brothers Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani, respectively, Reddy delivered a notable dissent. While the majority went the other way, his opinion urged a coherent policy and legislation for natural gas allocation and India’s energy security under production-sharing contracts. His view emphasized public-resource governance.
• Black money case (2011): Acting on a public interest litigation led by lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani, Reddy’s bench castigated the central government’s “soft approach” to illicit wealth (black money) held abroad (including in Liechtenstein and Germany). The court ordered the creation of a special investigation team under a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate and monitor action. It also balanced privacy concerns with citizens’ right to know about unlawful activities.
• Salwa Judum case (2011): In a judgment with Justice S. S. Nijjar, Reddy held unconstitutional the state-backed use of the civilian militia Salwa Judum and the deployment of special police officers (Koya Commandos) for policing areas where Maoist Naxalites are present. The court denounced arming civilians as “unethical and dangerous,” protecting Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, and directed probes into alleged abuses by the militia consisting largely of tribal youth, including the attack on social activist Swami Agnivesh. Ahead of the 2025 vice presidential election, Home Minister Amit Shah faced criticism for citing this case to claim that Reddy was a Naxal sympathizer and berating the retired judge.
• Ban on non-iodized salt (2011): Reddy was on the bench that upheld a prohibition on the sale of non-iodized salt. The court also pressed the government to craft a comprehensive nutrition policy. The ruling tied public health goals to regulatory mandates.
• Army College of Medical Sciences admissions (2011): A bench including Reddy opened Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery admissions at the Army College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, to candidates not in the armed forces. The move broadened access and made the institution more inclusive. It adjusted the admissions regime to align with constitutional norms.