The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government not to take any coercive action against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao based on the findings of the PC Ghose committee, which investigated alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project.
A division bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice JM Mohiuddin, reserved its April 8 judgment and delivered it on Wednesday.
The bench, which heard arguments on separate petitions filed by KCR, his nephew and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao, senior IAS officer Smitha Sabharwal and retired IAS officer SK Joshi, directed that no coercive action should be taken against the petitioners based on the panel’s report.
Senior advocate Gandra Mohan Rao, who defended KCR, told reporters that the court also stayed the practical use of the report for further proceedings.
Mohan Rao said: “The Judicial Committee report has no value.”
The petitioners have challenged the jurisdiction of the Justice Ghose Commission appointed in March 2024 to probe alleged irregularities in the multi-crore irrigation project. However, the State Government Advocate General defended the committee, stating that it was constituted in the public interest and that due process was followed, including issuance of notices and hearings.
The Supreme Court bench said that the formation of the committee was not arbitrary, illegal or unconstitutional.
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“But the findings of the commission are prejudicial to the conduct and reputation of the petitioners and have been made in violation of the principles of natural justice and statutory safeguards provided under Section 8B of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. Therefore, they must be ineffective and no action can be taken on the basis of them,” the court said.
The bench found fault with the state government for publishing the committee’s findings in the public domain through the media before legislative scrutiny in the Assembly.
Mohan Rao described the ruling as a “huge relief”, noting that the report had effectively lost its enforceability. He further clarified that the court prohibited reliance on the findings of the committee to initiate any investigation, including by central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation (KLIS) project, said to be the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, was initiated by the then BRS government in May 2016. Its main component was inaugurated by the then CM KCR in 2019.
In March 2024, the Congress government had constituted a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge B C Ghose to investigate alleged irregularities in the planning, design, construction, quality control, operation and maintenance of the Medigada, Annaram and Sundila barrages in the Kaleshwaram project.
The committee submitted its report to the Telangana government on July 31, 2025. The committee held KCR directly and indirectly responsible for the irregularities in the planning, implementation, completion, operation and maintenance of the Kaleshwaram project.
It also charged Harish Rao, then Principal Secretary SK Joshi and then Secretary to Chief Minister Smitha Sabharwal.
Reacting to the verdict, Harish Rao said that the truth prevailed in the end. He urged the Congress government to end retaliatory policies and accelerate reforms of the Medigada bombing.
The former minister said the court found fault with the investigation process, citing violations of natural justice and fundamental rights. He stated that the Supreme Court invalidated the negative observations contained in the committee’s report and prohibited any action based on its findings.
“The judgment has clearly exposed the political machinations of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy,” he said, reiterating that the Kaleshwaram project remains the lifeline of Telangana state.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao also welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay of consideration of the Goss Committee report, terming it a severe slap in the face of the Congress government.
KTR said in a statement that the court directives prohibiting any action based on the report revealed the misuse of institutions for political purposes.
He said, “From the beginning, we said that the report was politically motivated. The ruling confirms that constitutional institutions cannot be misused to achieve narrow political gains.”
State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that not only the Ghose Commission, but all previous investigations conducted by the National Dam Safety Authority, the Expert Committee and the Vigilance Committee had pointed to structural faults in three barrages – Medigada, Annaram and Sundila project in Kaleshwaram.
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He stressed that the committee clearly highlighted these issues in its findings.
“The Supreme Court did not give any clean chit to KCR and others. In fact, the Supreme Court upheld the constitution and legality of the Goss Committee,” the minister said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy further announced that the state cabinet will deliberate on the court ruling in its meeting on Thursday.
He added: “A detailed discussion will be held in the Council of Ministers, after which we will determine our future course of action.”
