HC defers verdict on Ghose Commission report in Kaleshwaram project to April 22

THe Telangana heights margaret court on wed deferred its judgement to apr 22 on the make-up of the Justice P C Ghose Commission, which probed the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project and submitted its report to the state government.A high court bench, comprising chief justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and justice G M Mohiuddin, heard extensive arguments on a batch of petitions filed independently by Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), former irrigation minister T Harish Rao, senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal, and former IAS officer S K Joshi, among others in September last year.The bench, which was supposed to deliver its judgement on Wednesday, reserved the same and posted the matter to April 22.The Justice Ghose commission was appointed in March 2024, to look into the major lapses in the design, construction, and operational aspects of major barrages built as part of the Kaleshwaram project - Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla — following the damages caused during October 2023 floods.The Commission submitted its report to the state government on July 31, 2025, after 16 months of rigorous exercise of probing the irregularities, including lack of construction quality, design flaws, maintenance lapses, and accountability in financial and administrative oversight.The Ghose Commission found fault with KCR, Harish Rao, former finance minister Eatala Rajender and senior engineers responsible for the project works. After discussing the report in the state assembly, chief minister A Revanth Reddy announced handing over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe further into alleged scam in the Kaleshwaram project works.KCR, Harish Rao and others, who moved the high court challenging the Ghose Commission report, argued that the commission’s inquiry had violated established legal procedures and principles of natural justice.They contended that the commission had failed to adequately consider their explanations before proceeding against them and alleged that the inquiry was being conducted in a manner prejudicial to them.The Telangana government, however, defended the commission, saying it had been constituted in the larger public interest to uncover deficiencies and possible wrongdoing in the Kaleshwaram project.It told the court that the commission had prepared its findings based on available records and had issued notices to all concerned individuals in accordance with the law. The government sought dismissal of the petitions, maintaining that the inquiry process was legally valid.