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
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday extended the interim protection earlier granted to former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and others in a batch of petitions filed by them challenging the report of the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission on alleged irregularities in the execution of the Kaleswaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS).
The others granted relief were former minister T. Harish Rao, former bureaucrat S.K. Joshi and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal. The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin.
During the hearing, the state sought additional time to place its written submissions on record. Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy, submitted that the reply affidavits to the counter affidavits had been filed in the last few days. In view of this, the state was unable to submit its written arguments within the time stipulated by the court on November 12, 2025.
Refuting this, senior counsel Aryama Sundaram, representing the petitioners, submitted that the Advocate-General had not explained the delay made by the state in filing the counter affidavits. He said that although the counter affidavits were filed belatedly by the state, well beyond approximately one month granted by the court, the petitioners had filed their reply affidavits within time, prior to the matter being taken up on Monday. He submitted that, owing to the delayed filing of the counter affidavits, written submissions could not be tendered on behalf of the petitioners as well.
After considering the submissions, the bench directed that written submissions be filed at least one week prior to the next date of hearing and adjourned the matter to February 25. The court also ordered that the interim order granted earlier in favour of the petitioners shall continue to remain in force until the next date of hearing.
