Telangana HC Extends Protection to KCR, Others in Kaleshwaram Irregularities Case

Based on the conclusions of a judicial commission into claims of irregularities in the execution of the Kaleshwaram project, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday extended until January its temporary order prohibiting the state government from taking any negative action against BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and others.

The state government's attorney requested more time to submit the counter-affidavits after the group of writ petitions filed by KCR, former minister Harish Rao, former chief secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi, and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal appeared for hearing before the division bench made up of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin on Wednesday.

The HC extended the temporary protection given to KCR, Harish Rao, Joshi, and Sabharwal while postponing the case to January 2026.

The government had previously received a report from a panel led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice P C Ghose that looked into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project during the previous BRS regime.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced the government's intention to transfer the inquiry to the CBI following a discussion of the report that was presented in the state assembly in August of this year.

The commission found Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for suspected irregularities in the project's construction and other issues in its findings. Harish Rao, KCR's nephew and the irrigation minister under the BRS administration, was also criticised in the study.

Challenging the report, KCR and Harish Rao, and others had approached the High Court.

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.