The INDI Alliance headed by the Indian National Congress (INC) nominated retired Supreme Court Justice B. Sudershan Reddy as their candidate for the Vice President elections. There was a huge controversy recently after Home Minister Amit Shah accused Sudershan Reddy of helping Naxalism through his Salwa Judum judgment in 2011.
Amit Shah said, “Sudershan Reddy is the person who helped Naxalism. He gave the Salwa Judum judgment. If that judgement had not been given… Naxal terrorism would have ended by 2020. He is the person who, inspired by that ideology, gave the judgment.”
There was plenty of huffing and puffing regarding the Home Minister’s statement. Some came out to condemn his comments, while others defended him against attacks. Our investigation has revealed that Justice Sudershan Reddy has engaged in deeply problematic activism. We are here to tell you what we discovered.
Justice Sudershan Reddy and his troubling connections
The Telangana Thinkers Forum (TTF) came into existence in 2017. We were unable to find much information about the body but according to a report from The Hindu, its objective is to explore solutions to social problems though Telangana’s perspective. Sudershan Reddy is one of the members of the group, as per the report, along with academic G. Haragopal.
Earlier this year, Justice Sudershan Reddy also signed a resolution against draft UGC regulations along with G. Haragopal. The resolution said, “The UGC has become more intrusive into the governance structures beyond its mandated domain with politically motivated interventions, while drastically reducing its grant-giving functions. This has adversely affected premier higher education or research institutions.”
Who is Professor G Haragopal?
Maoists in 2012 named G Haragopal as their mediator during negotiations with the Chhattisgarh Government for the release of then Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon. Maoist leader Vijay Makdam named him as the mediator through a text to media persons.
The other mediator was former bureaucrat B.D. Sharma who had said that the Maoist demands were justified and that everything is fair in war.
G Haragopal also accused the Indian Government of murder over Operation Kagaar, that led to the elimination of dreaded Naxal terrorist Nambala Keshav Rao. Haragopal claimed that it was not an encounter but cold blooded murder.
The activist said, “What is happening in Karregutta are not encounters… they are murders. At the Bharata Rajatotsava Sabha, attended by lakhs, the public had demanded a stop to Operation Kagar and the continuation of peace talks. Despite this, the government has carried out killings. If these are genuine encounters, then there should be a fair investigation to establish the truth.”
Coincidentally, it is also what the Maoists say about Operation Kagaar. According to them, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju was captured initially. He was killed only later.
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Speaking to TNIE, the academic also claimed that Basavaraju should have been treated as the leader of a political outfit, not a terrorist. He said, “The government should have treated him as the leader of a political outfit. But instead, they vowed to ‘eradicate’ them, and this killing is part of that approach. Once the state normalises eliminating opponents, the rule of law and constitutional democracy will be its casualties.”
Haragopal went ahead and claimed that after Naxals, the Indian State might could try to eliminate opposition parties. He said, “Once the state becomes accustomed to using firearms, it may not stop even after ‘eradicating’ the Maoist party, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah put it. The same force can then be turned against the Opposition, dissenters and civil society.”
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The academic also signed an appeal demanding the Indian Government to stop Operation Kagaar. The appeal also demanded that the Indian Government and Maoists declare a ceasefire. Haragopal was one of the signatories to the appeal. Numerous other organisations and people with obvious Naxal sympathies also signed the appeal.
The Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM), People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO) were some of the other organisations with obvious Naxal sympathies that also signed the letter.
Problematic Activism by Justice Sudershan Reddy
In 2020, in the aftermath of the anti-CAA violence, the “People’s Tribunal for State Action in Uttar Pradesh” published a report denouncing the conduct of the UP Police. The report claimed, “The statements of the Chief Minister [Ajay Bisht/Yogi Adityanath] were highly intemperate and entirely inappropriate for an elected leader of the most populous state in India. There were many deeply troubling reports of the brutality and intensity of police action which followed.”
The report also claimed that “Uttar Pradesh is in the throes of what is fast threatening to become a gravely culpable crime against humanity.” Justice Sudershan Reddy was one of the Jury Members of this “People’s Tribunal”. According to the Jury, the UP State Machinery actively persecuted the Muslim Community.
The “People’s Tribunal” had various “partner organisations”. Harsh Mander’s Karwan-e-Mohabbat (KeM) was one of them. Mander is himself a very dubious individual. Harsh Mander has extensive links to notorious philanthropist George Soros. KeM itself was deeply involved in the anti-CAA protests. Harsh Mander is/was also a member of the Ara Pacis Initiative (API). The Italian Government actively supported the founding of API. API also works with the Italian Secret Service.
The retired Justice’s Anti-Israel Activism
Justice Sudershan Reddy also signed a letter in 2024, demanding the Indian Government to suspend military exports to Israel. The letter claimed that the military exports violate Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India.
Apart from the retired Justice, Kavita Srivastava from PUCL also signed the letter. Kavita Srivastava is the serving President of PUCL. PUCL condemned Basavaraju’s encounter, calling it “extrajudicial killing.” Binayak Sen is a Vice President of PUCL.
PUCL desperately wanted a ceasefire between the Government and Maoists during Operation Kagaar. An NIA Special Court in Lucknow had specifically called out PUCL for exerting undue pressure on the Judiciary.
Recently, the organisation published a report on the ethnic violence in Manipur. The Meitei Community accused the report of presenting a biased narrative. Prominent Meitei leaders have demanded legal action against the group.
