# Telangana HC disqualifies Danam Nagender as Khairatabad MLA

2026-09-18T14:12:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Telangana High Court on Friday disqualified Danam Nagender as the MLA of Khairatabad assembly constituency, effective from April 23, 2024. A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin ruled that Nagender stood disqualified for contesting the Secunderabad Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate while being a BRS MLA. The court set aside Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar's earlier dismissal of disqualification petitions, saying the Speaker committed jurisdictional errors. The court rejected a request to keep the order in abeyance pending an appeal, and directed that the order be communicated to the Assembly Secretary, the Speaker, and the Election Commission. Nagender said he welcomed the judgment and is prepared to contest again if elections are held. BRS working president KT Rama Rao welcomed the verdict, saying other defectors will face the same fate. Petitions against nine other MLAs who switched from BRS to Congress are still pending before the high court.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Times of India and Telangana Today both reported the disqualification in neutral terms, focusing on the court order and Nagender's reaction. m9.news adopted a sensationalist tone, framing the verdict as a dramatic blow to defection and emphasising controversy. The neutral reports note that nine similar cases are pending, while the sensationalist version omits this. The balanced reading is that the high court has enforced the anti-defection law strictly, but the political impact depends on whether other pending petitions are decided similarly. The Election Commission will now need to schedule a bypoll for Khairatabad.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/telangana-high-court-disqualifies-danam-nagender-as-khairatabad-mla/articleshow/134333976.cms>
  Straight news agency style reporting, leads with court order and details.
- m9.news (sensationalist) <https://www.m9.news/politics/danam-nagender-disqualified-telangana-high-court/>
  Drama-first framing, calls defections 'extremely common' and verdict 'pretty controversial'.
- telanganatoday.com (neutral report) <https://telanganatoday.com/danam-nagender-says-he-is-ready-to-contest-again-after-hc-disqualification>
  Focuses on Nagender's reaction and his Assembly remarks, no editorial slant.

Tags: anti-defection law, BRS, Congress, Danam Nagender, Khairatabad, Telangana High Court
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