Telangana High Court Grants Interim Relief to KCR, Harish Rao in Kaleshwaram Case

Hyderabad, Sept 2025 : The Telangana High Court has granted interim relief to former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, restraining the state government from taking any action against them until further orders in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project case. The court’s direction came in response to petitions filed by the two leaders, challenging the Ghose Commission’s report that found serious irregularities in the project.

The order was passed on Tuesday by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin. The court specifically directed that no action should be taken against the petitioners on the basis of the findings of the P.C. Ghose Commission until the matter is heard further. The hearing has now been adjourned to October 7.

Government move for CBI probe

The interim relief follows the state government’s decision on Monday to recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced this move on the floor of the Assembly after an extensive debate on the Ghose Commission’s report. The Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, was constituted on March 14, 2024, to examine alleged irregularities in planning, design, construction, quality control, and maintenance of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the project.

The Ghose Commission submitted its report on July 31, holding KCR directly and vicariously responsible for lapses and irregularities in the execution of the project. The report also indicted Harish Rao, who was irrigation minister when the project was implemented during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime.

Petitioners’ arguments

In their petitions, both leaders sought the quashing of the Commission’s report, calling it unconstitutional, arbitrary, and violative of the Commission of Inquiry Act. They argued that the Commission exceeded its mandate and made adverse findings against them without following due process of law, particularly Sections 8B and 8C of the Act, which mandate an opportunity to be heard when findings affect an individual’s conduct or reputation.

The petitioners, represented by senior advocates Aryama Sundaram and Seshadri Naidu, contended that the report was invalid, defamatory, and prejudicial to their political careers. They further argued that the constitution of the Commission itself was arbitrary and beyond legal provisions.

Government’s counter

Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy, appearing for the state, countered these arguments by clarifying that the CBI probe was not linked to the Ghose Commission’s report but was instead based on findings of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). He maintained that the petitions filed by KCR and Harish Rao were not legally maintainable.

The state government had earlier assured the High Court during an August 22 hearing that no action would be taken against the petitioners until the Commission’s report was presented and debated in the Assembly. Following that assurance, the Court had adjourned the case for five weeks, directing senior officials including the Chief Secretary and the Irrigation Secretary to file detailed counter-affidavits. The petitioners were given an opportunity to reply thereafter.

Interim relief and next steps

After hearing detailed arguments from both sides on Tuesday, the bench restrained the government from proceeding against the petitioners on the basis of the Ghose Commission’s findings, granting them temporary protection until the next hearing. The matter will come up again on October 7, when the Court will further examine the maintainability of the petitions and the legality of the Commission’s report.

The controversy surrounding the Kaleshwaram project has become a major political flashpoint in Telangana. While the state government has pushed for a central agency probe to establish accountability for alleged irregularities, KCR and Harish Rao insist that the entire exercise is politically motivated and intended to tarnish their reputations. With the High Court’s intervention, the legal and political battle over one of India’s largest irrigation projects is set to intensify in the coming weeks.