The outcome could decide the fate and validity of the Ghose Commission's report. The hearing occurs amidst heightened political tensions. The BRS is alleging a Congress-BJP conspiracy to undermine KLIP and target KCR.
Published Sep 01, 2025 | 4:39 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 01, 2025 | 4:39 PM
T Harish Rao and KCR.
Synopsis: On 31 August, the report was tabled in the Telangana Assembly, followed by a heated debate that extended past midnight into 1 September. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced the CBI referral at 1:40 am on Monday, citing interstate issues and central agency involvement, a move that stunned BRS and sparked accusations of political collusion with the BJP.
The Telangana High Court will on Tuesday, 2 September, hear the petitions filed by former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, seeking the suspension of the PC Ghose Commission report on the Kaleshwaram project.
The petitioners challenged the Commission’s report submitted to the state government on 31 July on irregularities, alleged to have taken place in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Project.
On Saturday, 30 August, KCR and Harish Rao filed interlocutory petitions in the high court seeking an order restraining the state government from taking action on the Ghose Commission report until their petitions for the suspension of the report are disposed of.
With the state government, on Monday, 1 September, deciding to entrust the case to the CBI, the petitioners again sought the court’s intervention to prevent the government from taking any action against them. But the court refused to give any such direction to the government or the CBI and scheduled the hearing for Tuesday.
The outcome could decide the fate and validity of the Ghose Commission’s report. The hearing occurs amidst heightened political tensions. The BRS is alleging a Congress-BJP conspiracy to undermine KLIP and target KCR.
The CBI referral has intensified speculation about political motives, especially given Congress’s national stand that the CBI is a BJP-controlled agency. A favorable ruling for KCR could bolster BRS’s defense, while a denial might escalate legal and political pressure.
KCR and Harish Rao had filed separate writ petitions in the high court on 21 August, seeking to quash the 665-page Ghose Commission report, which held them directly and vicariously accountable for procedural, financial, and technical irregularities in the KLIP.
The petitioners argued that the report was “politically motivated,” violated the principles of natural justice, and lacked jurisdiction under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. Specifically, they contended that the Commission had failed to issue mandatory notices under Sections 8B and 8C, denying them a fair opportunity to defend themselves.
On 22 August, a division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin heard the initial petitions but declined to grant interim relief to quash the report. Advocate General A Sudarshan Reddy assured the court that the government would not act on the report until it was debated in the Assembly, prompting the bench to adjourn the matter and direct the removal of the report from government websites to prevent premature action.
On 31 August, the report was tabled in the Telangana Assembly, followed by a heated debate that extended past midnight into 1 September. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced the CBI referral at 1:40 am on Monday, citing interstate issues and central agency involvement, a move that stunned BRS and sparked accusations of political collusion with the BJP.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
