‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram, phir aaya Ram’ : SC remark on Danam Nagender defection

“Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram, phir aaya Ram?” — that was the Supreme Court’s pointed oral remark on Thursday, September 24, during the hearing of BRS MLA Danam Nagender’s challenge to his disqualification following his move to the ruling Congress.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the remark while a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Bagchi and V Mohana heard Nagender’s plea. The bench ultimately declined to interfere with the Telangana High Court order disqualifying him as an MLA.

The phrase “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” is commonly used in Indian politics to describe frequent party switching.

Nagender was elected from Khairatabad on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. He later joined the Congress and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket while continuing as an MLA.

The Telangana High Court had on September 18 set aside an order of Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar rejecting petitions seeking Nagender’s disqualification.

The High Court held that Nagender incurred disqualification under the Tenth Schedule and made it effective from April 23, 2024, the date he filed his nomination as a Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha election.

The petitions before the High Court had been filed by BJP Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy.

They sought Nagender’s disqualification under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule, which deals with a legislator voluntarily giving up membership of a political party.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Nagender before the Supreme Court.

The Speaker had earlier dismissed the disqualification petitions on March 11. The Supreme Court’s remarks came against the backdrop of the continuing legal dispute over Nagender’s defection and the circumstances under which he contested the Lok Sabha election after being elected as a BRS MLA.