The Telangana High Court on Wednesday extended till January 2026 its interim order restraining the state government from taking any adverse action against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, former minister T Harish Rao, and senior bureaucrats in connection with the findings of the judicial commission probing alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin passed the order after hearing a batch of writ petitions filed by KCR, Harish Rao, former Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi, and IAS officer Smita Sabharwal. During the hearing, the counsel representing the state government sought additional time to file counter affidavits.
Posting the matter for further hearing in January, the court extended its earlier interim protection that had barred the state government from initiating any coercive or punitive measures against the petitioners pending final adjudication.
The interim relief stems from petitions challenging the report of a judicial commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice P C Ghose. The commission, constituted to investigate alleged financial and procedural irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project during the previous BRS regime, had submitted its report to the government earlier this year.
In August, the report was tabled in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, following which Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the state would hand over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Commission Findings and Court Challenge
The Justice Ghose Commission report reportedly held former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao accountable for alleged lapses and irregularities in the multi-crore irrigation project. It also faulted then irrigation minister Harish Rao for his role in the project’s execution.
Challenging the report’s findings, KCR, Harish Rao, and others approached the High Court, alleging that the conclusions were based on procedural irregularities and that the report was politically motivated.
Earlier this year, the High Court had granted interim relief to the petitioners, shielding them from any government action based on the commission’s findings until the matter is finally decided.
With the latest extension, the interim protection for all petitioners remains in force till the next hearing in January 2026.
