Published Jul 28, 2026 | 7:52 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2026 | 7:52 PM
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Synopsis: A day after the Telangana High Court directed the State government to remove HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy hit back, alleging that only thieves, illegal encroachers, and the BRS wanted the agency dismantled. He said the government would legally contest the “false cases” against HYDRAA and continue to back its work.
A day after the Telangana High Court directed the State government to remove Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner AV Ranganath from his post for repeated violations of court orders, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday, 28 July, came to the defence of both the agency and Ranganath.
Speaking to the press in Delhi, Reddy said, “Only thieves, illegal encroachers, and the BRS wanted HYDRAA to go away.”
He alleged that those who had encroached on water bodies and public parks had misled the court and were now describing the matter as contempt.
Reddy questioned why the same standard had not been applied to officials from the previous BRS government, pointing to former Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar.
He claimed Kumar had faced more than 400 contempt cases during his tenure, asking why that had not prompted calls for his removal at the time.
He maintained that the government retained the authority to decide who held official posts.
“The government has the power to designate officials in their roles. Nobody can take away the government’s authority in this,” Reddy said.
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The High Court, on Monday, 27 July, directed the State government to remove Ranganath after rejecting his apology in a batch of contempt petitions linked to a land dispute in Lothkunta, Medchal-Malkajgiri district. Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar noted that 63 contempt cases were pending against the Commissioner and asked the Chief Secretary to identify a replacement.
The Chief Minister said he had not yet reviewed the court’s order in detail but would examine it on the government’s behalf.
“We respect the court order, but we will also continue the work HYDRAA is doing,” he said, adding that the government’s position on the agency’s mandate remained unchanged.
Revanth also said the government would pursue legal recourse.
“We have complete trust in our courts. We will fight this legally,” he said, describing HYDRAA as the greatest reform of his government. He said the agency had won national appreciation for protecting water bodies and added that the government intended to further strengthen it.
Revanth also denied allegations that HYDRAA had targeted ordinary citizens while sparing influential encroachers, maintaining that the agency’s demolitions were confined to public land.
“If people encroach on parks or lakes, then only we go for demolition,” he said, asserting that private properties of the rich, such as a legally constructed house in Jubilee Hills, were not HYDRAA’s concern unless they had been built on encroached government land.
The Chief Minister cited multiple examples of influential people who had occupied government land, prompting HYDRAA’s intervention.
“Didn’t we demolish N Convention? Were those owners not rich people?” he asked.
He then referred to BRS leader Aedla Sushakar Reddy, who he alleged had encroached on Bathukamma Kunta and later filed a contempt case after HYDRAA reclaimed and rejuvenated the water body. The matter remains before the court.
He also pointed to Advocate Mukhim, who he alleged had illegally occupied hundreds of acres of government land before HYDRAA moved to reclaim it.
Reddy claimed that individuals such as these were the ones filing contempt petitions against the agency and appealed to the media not to amplify their claims.
“We did not take these lands away to give them to someone else. These are government lands. And HYDRAA is rejuvenating and restoring these water bodies,” he said.
He further alleged that a social media campaign was being funded to discredit the government on behalf of encroachers.
AV Ranganath, in a statement on Monday following the court’s order, defended his two-year tenure as HYDRAA Commissioner, framing his actions as consistent with the State’s constitutional duty under Articles 21 and 48A to protect the environment and public health.
He said the agency had reclaimed hundreds of lakes and parks, as well as thousands of acres of government land, from powerful encroachers, restoring assets he valued at roughly Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Six lakes, he said, had already been revived, with restoration work on another 20 underway. He echoed the Chief Minister’s allegations, accusing land mafias and encroachers of misleading the judiciary with false claims to protect their interests.
On the Lothkunta dispute at the centre of the contempt case, Ranganath alleged that Shanta Sriram Constructions had attempted to seize land worth close to Rs 10,000 crore, engaging in the unauthorised destruction of hundreds of trees and the blasting of heritage rock formations without permits.
He further claimed the firm had misrepresented the plot’s location to encroach on 120 acres of government land before filing the contempt case that ultimately led to his removal.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
