Supreme Court Dismisses Telangana MLA Aadi Srinivas's Plea Against Ramesh Chennamaneni Over 2018 Election

The Supreme Court today(August 8) dismissed a Special Leave Petition challenging the Telangana High Court order's which, even though it declared Ramesh Chennamaneni a German citizen and consequently disqualified him from contesting and holding public office, failed to formally declare Aadi Srinivas, who had secured the second-highest votes, as the MLA from Vemulawada.Chennaimaneni was elected as a MLA from Vemulawada district four consecutive times by suppressing facts that he is a German citizen. In December last year, the Telangana High Court imposed a cost of Rs. 30 lakhs on him for suppressing material facts regarding his German citizenship. This was in response to a writ petition filed by him challenging the 2019 decision of the Central Government to cancel his Indian citizenship.Before a bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice NK Singh, Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal submitted that even though the High Court found Chennamaneni committed fraud on the country, the High Court failed to grant any relief. He added that the Respondent continues to draw legislative benefits, including a pension. However, the bench said it's not inclined to interfere with the High Court's order.Justice Sundresh said that the Court can't "resurrect" the matter as the term of the election contested and won by Chennaimaneni is already over.The Appellant, Aadi Srinivas, who won from Vemulawada in 2023, has been challenging Chennamaneni's election for years. Now, he says that despite the Appellant being declared as a German citizen, the High Court failed to grant necessary relief to the Appellant, a declaration that he is the duly elected representative and removal of the name of the Respondent from the official records of the Election Commission and the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana.Srinivas had contested each Legislative Assembly election from Vemulawada Assembly constituency held in 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2018 and consistently secured the second highest number of valid votes, as stated. It is his case that the Respondent had fraudulently obtained Indian citizenship by suppressing material facts regarding his German nationality.Even though in an Election Petition, the High Court had declared that he was not an Indian citizen in 2013, the Respondent, under the guise of continuous and frivolous litigation and by exploiting procedural delays, managed to unlawfully contest and occupy the legislative office for four consecutive terms- 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2018.The Appellant argues that even though he approached the High Court in 2019 through an election petition seeking a declaration that the Respondent's election was void under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, due to the delay, the order was issued only on March 19, 2025. Case Details: AADI SRINIVAS Vs RAMESH CHENNAMANENI|Diary No. 39256 / 2025SLP filed by Advocate on Record Neha RaiClick Here To Read Order

Supreme Court Dismisses Telangana MLA Aadi Srinivas's Plea Against Ramesh Chennamaneni Over 2018 Election

Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

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