In a significant breather for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi top brass, the Telangana High Court on Monday extended its interim protection for former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and ex-minister T Harish Rao until February 25. The ruling ensures that the state government cannot take any "adverse action" against them based on the findings of the Justice PC Ghose Commission report concerning the Kaleshwaram project.
A division bench, led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, pushed the deadline to late February to allow all parties involved to file their written submissions. The court had been hearing a cluster of petitions filed not just by the Rao duo, but also by former Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi and senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal.
The legal battle stems from a report tabled in the State Assembly last August by the retired Supreme Court judge. The commission’s findings pinned responsibility on KCR and Harish Rao for alleged irregularities and structural failures in the massive lift irrigation project. Shortly after the report went public, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced his intention to hand the entire investigation over to the CBI.
KCR’s legal team has been fighting to have the commission’s appointment declared "illegal and unconstitutional." In his petition, the former CM argued that the entire process was "malafide" and a violation of natural justice, specifically criticising the government for leaking and publicising parts of the report to the media before the case was settled.
With the High Court’s latest order, the status quo remains. The government is essentially tied down from using the commission's report as a basis for arrests or formal charges until the court takes a final call during the next hearing on February 25.
Also read: BRS, KCR’s political end is true tribute to NTR: Revanth
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