Telangana High Court stays Telugu film and TV dancers association elections

The Telangana High Court has stayed the October 11 elections to the Telugu Film and TV Dancers and Dance Directors Association. The polls cannot go ahead until the Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation appears in court and presents its case, or until further orders.

V.V. Sumalatha Devi, the association's president, brought the challenge. The Federation decided on September 23 to dissolve the association and announced fresh elections the next day. She argued that the sitting executive committee's term runs until December 6, 2027, and asked the courts to stop the vote.

Her first attempt did not get her the protection she wanted. She filed an interim application for an injunction on September 28, but the trial court gave her no interim relief and listed the matter for November 3, weeks after polling day. She then moved the High Court through Civil Revision Petition No. 3123 of 2026.

Hearing the plea on October 8, Justice M.B. Lakshmi asked why the trial court had pushed the hearing past the election date. The judge also noted that its order gave no reasons for refusing interim protection. Hearing the dispute only after the polls, the judge observed, could leave the petitioner without a real remedy. The High Court suspended the trial court's docket order.

Notice, including personal notice, will be served on the Federation. The case is listed again on October 30. The dissolution, the committee's tenure and the validity of the election notification all remain before the court.