Hyderabad, Sep 2026 : In a major relief to Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner A.V. Ranganath, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday temporarily suspended a single judge’s order directing the state government to remove him from the post and appoint another officer.
Ranganath had approached the High Court challenging the July 27 order passed by Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti. His petition came up before a division bench, where former Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Rajiv Shakdher appeared on his behalf. After hearing the initial arguments, the division bench granted temporary relief by staying the single judge’s direction.
The earlier order had directed Telangana Chief Secretary to relieve Ranganath as HYDRAA Commissioner and appoint a suitable replacement. The directive was issued while hearing a contempt petition filed by Shanta Sriram Constructions Private Limited. The company had alleged that HYDRAA officials entered its 40-acre property in Lothkunta with around 50 vehicles and nearly 200 personnel, despite existing court directions.
Justice Jukanti had made strong observations against the HYDRAA commissioner, stating that Ranganath had allegedly become a “law unto himself”. The court also observed that HYDRAA had exceeded its mandate by allegedly bypassing departments such as revenue, irrigation and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
At an earlier stage of the proceedings, the court had severely reprimanded Ranganath over alleged violations of its orders. The judge had even warned that the court could direct the Army to take the officer into custody and keep him in Army barracks if the alleged violations continued.
Ranganath had subsequently been directed to submit an affidavit explicitly apologising for HYDRAA personnel and machinery entering and fencing the disputed property without the petitioner’s permission. However, the affidavit was reportedly not filed and Ranganath did not appear before the court for the hearing. Taking serious exception to this, Justice Jukanti directed the state government to remove him from the HYDRAA post.
The single judge also noted that around 63 contempt petitions were pending against Ranganath over a period of approximately one-and-a-half years.
Following the order, Ranganath had maintained that he would legally contest all 63 contempt cases and expressed confidence in the judiciary. He alleged that the petitions were being filed by influential encroachers who had been affected by HYDRAA’s efforts to protect lakes and government land.
Ranganath also accused land mafias and encroachers of attempting to mislead courts by presenting false information. He said he remained committed to fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to him by the Telangana government.
“Regardless of the responsibilities entrusted to me by the government, I am committed to delivering 100 per cent results, and I will continue to do so,” he had said.
An IPS officer, Ranganath has headed HYDRAA since its establishment by the Telangana government around two years ago. The agency was created with the objective of protecting public assets, water bodies and other government properties in and around Hyderabad.
According to HYDRAA, it has protected around 3,315 acres of government land valued at approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore during the last two years. The agency has also undertaken drives to reclaim and protect lakes, nalas, parks, government lands and other blue-green resources.
However, HYDRAA’s aggressive enforcement actions have also attracted criticism from opposition parties. They have accused the agency of demolishing homes belonging to economically weaker sections in the name of protecting government land and water bodies.
The latest High Court order temporarily staying the removal directive allows Ranganath to continue as HYDRAA Commissioner while the division bench considers his challenge to the single judge’s ord
