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4 days ago
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The Telangana High Court Monday morning refused to hear the interlocutory applications filed by former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao seeking urgent hearing and protection from any government action in connection with the probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) till Tuesday.
Hours after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy declared on the floor of the state Assembly on Monday that the probe into alleged irregularities in the scheme will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the counsels for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders approached the court seeking interim relief.
Reddy had made the statement while tabling the report by the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry into the planning and execution of KLIP. The report has faulted KCR and his dispensation for “rampant procedural and financial irregularities, lack of proper planning, design flaws, construction defects and a complete absence of effective operation and maintenance”.
The bench of Justices Aparesh Kumar Singh and G M Mohiuddin discussed the urgency of the pleas and asked Advocate General A Sudershan Reddy, who did not appear in person, to get instructions and report back, considering whether any action will be taken before the next hearing. The counsels sought an urgent hearing on Monday afternoon and an assurance that no action would be taken by the government till Tuesday.
“Anyway, be ready with the instructions and tell us whether you are going to take action today, tomorrow, or it’s in the pipeline so that the necessary sense of urgency has to be taken note of for some clarity on that,” the Chief Justice observed.
Aryama Sundaram and D Seshadri Naidu, the counsels for the BRS leaders, informed the court that the high court’s previous order in this regard had stated that no action would be taken on the report until it is discussed in the Assembly. “The Assembly has been adjourned without any resolution, but the Chief Minister has publicly stated (including in the media) that stringent action, including a CBI probe, will be taken,” the counsel told the court.
The petitioners expressed the concern that if any action is taken in the interim, their case will become infructuous.
Rahul V Pisharody is an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express Online and has been reporting from Telangana on various issues since 2019. Besides a focused approach to big news developments, Rahul has a keen interest in stories about Hyderabad and its inhabitants and looks out for interesting features on the city's heritage, environment, history culture etc. His articles are straightforward and simple reads in sync with the context. Rahul started his career as a journalist in 2011 with The New Indian Express and worked in different roles at the Hyderabad bureau for over 8 years. As Deputy Metro Editor, he was in charge of the Hyderabad bureau of the newspaper and coordinated with the team of district correspondents, centres and internet desk for over three years. A native of Palakkad in Kerala, Rahul has a Master's degree in Communication (Print and New Media) from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. Long motorcycle rides and travel photography are among his other interests. ... Read More
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