In a significant development, the Telangana High Court has prohibited the state government from taking any action against former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, ex-Minister T. Harish Rao, and two others based on the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission’s report regarding alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. The court highlighted that the Commission did not adhere to the prescribed procedure under the Commission of Inquiry Act.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin issued this ruling in response to writ petitions filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Harish Rao, retired IAS officer S.K. Joshi, and serving IAS officer Smitha Sabharwal challenging the Commission’s report. The petitioners had requested the court to set aside and annul the report.
During the proceedings, the petitioners’ counsels disputed the Commission’s findings, arguing that their clients were not served mandatory notices under Sections 8B and 8C of the Commission of Inquiry Act. Following the arguments, the court reserved its orders last month, which were eventually pronounced on April 22, directing the government not to take any coercive action against the petitioners based on the Ghose Commission’s report.
Senior counsel Dama Sheshadri Naidu represented KCR in the case, while Advocate General A. Sudershan Reddy and senior counsel S. Niranjan Reddy appeared for the state government and the Ghose Commission, respectively.
