Telangana HC Continues Interim Protection for KCR, Harish Rao
The bench passed the order after the batch of writ petitions filed by KCR, Harish Rao, former Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal came up for hearing before it on Monday
By : PTI
Update: 2026-01-19 10:33 GMT
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday extended till February 25 its interim protection for BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, former minister T Harish Rao and others from any adverse action by the state government based on the findings of the judicial commission on the Kaleshwaram project.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin adjourned the matter to February 25, to enable the filing of written submissions while extending the interim protection already granted.
The bench passed the order after the batch of writ petitions filed by KCR, Harish Rao, former Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal came up for hearing before it on Monday.
On November 12 last year, the HC had extended protection for KCR and others, based on the report, and then adjourned the matter to January 19 (Monday) allowing four weeks time to the state government to file the counter affidavits. The court also gave three weeks thereafter to the petitioners to file their reply affidavits.
The commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice P C Ghose, which had probed the alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project during the BRS tenure, had earlier submitted its report to the government.
The report was tabled in the state assembly in August last year and after a discussion, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had announced the government's decision to hand over the investigation to CBI.
In its report, the commission held Chandrasekhar Rao accountable for alleged irregularities in the project's construction and other aspects. The report also found fault with Harish Rao, a nephew of KCR and the irrigation minister during the BRS regime besides the role of some officials among others in the construction of barrages and other components of the project.
Challenging the report, KCR and Harish Rao, and others had approached the High Court seeking to quash it.
In his petition, KCR sought to declare the appointment of the Commission of Inquiry as "illegal, unconstitutional and ultra vires", and to quash the report issued by the commission on July 31, 2025 by declaring it as "malafide" and violating principles of natural justice.
Contending that a copy of the commission's report was furnished to him, KCR urged the court to declare the state government's action of making repeated publications of the report as illegal, biased and premeditated and violating principles of natural justice.
Earlier, the High Court had granted relief to KCR, Harish Rao and others, restraining the government from acting against them pending final adjudication in the matter.