As India gears up for the much-awaited Vice Presidential election on September 9, both candidates contesting for the country's second-highest constitutional position are in the limelight. The INDIA bloc fielded retired Justice B Sudershan Reddy, against their opposition, the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate, CP Radhakrishnan.
Both candidates in the VP race are from southern India: Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu and Reddy from Telangana.
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Although CP Radhakrishnan brings extensive political experience and allegiance to the BJP-led NDA, Justice Reddy joined the VP race as a highly respected figure from the Indian judiciary.
As the Vice President's position is important in chairing the Rajya Sabha and leading the country's legislature, Justice Reddy's background is receiving national spotlight.
Here are five key facts about the man in the race to become India's next Vice President.
Education and early life
Born in July 1946 in Akula Mylaram (now Telangana), Reddy got his law degree from Osmania University and began practising law in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in December 1971.
He commenced practice in Hyderabad and gained legal expertise during his High Court tenure.
Judicial career
{{/usCountry}}He commenced practice in Hyderabad and gained legal expertise during his High Court tenure.
Judicial career
{{/usCountry}}B Sudershan Reddy is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. He passed the bar in 1971 and was enrolled in Hyderabad with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh.
In his career as an advocate, Reddy practised Civil matters in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. He worked as a government Pleader in the High Court during 1988-90.
Landmark verdicts
Over the years, Justice Reddy has handled several relevant cases, including writ petitions and civil cases. One of his most notable rulings was his landmark 2011 judgment holding the Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored anti-Maoist vigilante group in Chhattisgarh, unconstitutional.
One of his other landmark verdicts was Justice Reddy's interpretation of Section 47 of the Persons with Disabilities Act to safeguard employees who become disabled during their employment.
First Lokayukta of Goa
Beyond the bench, Reddy served as Goa's first Lokayukta in 2013 to fight corruption and later chaired a key expert group on Telangana's caste census, helping structure reservation policies based on backwardness indices.
Other posts
In 2022, Reddy was appointed by the Supreme Court appointed as an oversight authority for mining operations in Karnataka. He was later appointed as a Life Trustee of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad.
He was also a part of the Independent Expert Working Group constituted by the Telangana government. The panel submitted it report on the state's Social, Educational, Economic, Employment, Political, and Caste survey to chief minister Revanth Reddy.