Kaleshwaram project probe: Telangana High Court extends interim protection to KCR, Harish Rao and others until November 12

The division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin was dealing with four writ petitions filed by each of the petitioners seeking to quash the Ghose Commission report. The high court gave two weeks to the prosecution to file their counter-affidavits and granted another two weeks for the petitioners to file their replies, if necessary.

The counsels appearing for the state informed the court that they were yet to file their counters. When Advocate General A. Sudharshan Reddy sought a future date for hearing, the bench expressed displeasure and stated that a date, October 7, had been previously given, allowing both sides to file affidavits and complete their pleadings.

Report alleged ‘colossal waste of money’

After the report was submitted to the state government, the case was forwarded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 1, following a marathon debate in the Assembly. The CBI probe will focus on allegations of irregularities, embezzlement of public funds, and corrupt practices related to the construction of the Kaleshwaram barrages. This action was taken in light of the Commission’s findings and a report by the National Dam Safety Authority.

The Commission’s report concluded that “KLIP, intended as a lifeline for the state of Telangana, became a colossal waste of money due to profound failure of governance, planning, technical oversight, and financial discipline, driven by the individual decisions and undue influence of political leadership”.

Earlier, KCR and Harish Rao approached the high court on September 2, expressing concern that the state would use the Commission’s adverse findings against them to form the basis of the CBI investigation. Retired bureaucrat Joshi and Sabharwal, who is presently posted as Member Secretary, Telangana Finance Commission, approached the court with similar pleas on September 3 and September 25, respectively.

All of them have claimed that the Commission did not issue them notices under sections 8-B and 8-C of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, which they claimed was against the law and natural justice. They alleged that they were given no opportunity to respond to the allegations against them or to cross-examine the witnesses. The court consolidated all four petitions and set a date for October 7. Now, the hearing is further posted to November 12.

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