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Background & Early Life
Born on 8 July 1946 in Akula Mylaram village, Ranga Reddy district, in undivided Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), into an agricultural family.
Completed his BA and LL.B. at Osmania University, Hyderabad, graduating in 1971.
Legal Career & Judicial Ascendance
Enrolled as an advocate with the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council in December 1971 and began practising in writ and civil law.
Served as Government Pleader (1988–1990), then as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central Government (1990), and also acted as Legal Adviser and Standing Counsel for Osmania University.
Judicial Appointments
Elevated to Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 2 May 1995.
Became Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on 5 December 2005.
Appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 12 January 2007, serving until his retirement on 7 July 2011.
Landmark Judicial Contributions
Ruled against Salwa Judum, declaring tribal militia groups unconstitutional.
Ordered setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe black money hidden abroad, delivering a strong rebuke to government inaction.
Participated in key rulings involving RTI transparency, corporate disputes involving the Ambani brothers, and constitutional balancing of privacy and transparency.
Chaired the Rajya Sabha committee investigating misconduct by Justice Soumitra Sen, concluding the charges were substantiated.
Post-Retirement Roles & Public Service
Appointed as the first Lokayukta of Goa in March 2013; resigned later that year citing personal reasons.
Served as an oversight authority on mining for Karnataka and as a trustee at the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad.
Chaired an expert panel on the Telangana Social and Caste Survey, developing a Composite Backwardness Index—a key input for OBC policy in the state.
Vice-Presidential Candidacy & Political Significance
On 19 August 2025, the INDIA bloc (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) announced Justice Reddy as its joint candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, set for 9 September 2025, following Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation. He will contest against NDA’s C. P. Radhakrishnan.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge praised Reddy as one of India’s most distinguished and progressive jurists—“a consistent and courageous champion of social, economic and political justice,” particularly known for favouring the poor and safeguarding constitutional rights.
Regional & Symbolic Support
Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy urged unity among Telugu parties to back Justice Reddy, calling him a defender of the Constitution, democracy, and OBC rights—highlighting his local roots and credibility.
Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin praised Reddy as a “jurist of integrity” dedicated to civil liberties, secularism, and federalism. His backing reinforced the ideological dimension of this electoral battle.
Analysts describe the election as a “southern showdown”, contrasting the judiciary-grounded Reddy with political veteran Radhakrishnan—making this contest symbolically charged around regional representation and values.
[Newsroom staff written original, where key claims or facts are used, I’ve referenced the original sources (like ABP Live, The Tribune,
The Week, The New Indian Express, The Week, Wikipedia
etc.) transparently.]
