The Telangana high court has directed the state government not to take any coercive action against BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and three others based on the findings of the PC Ghose Commission, which probed the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project.
A division bench of the high court comprising chief justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and justice GM Mohiuddin reserved its judgement on April 8 and delivered it on Wednesday.
The bench stayed the operational use of the report for further proceedings and barred any action based on its findings, saying they were prejudicial to the conduct and reputation of the petitioners and had been rendered in violation of principles of natural justice.
The court also found fault with the state government for placing the commission's findings in the public domain through the media before legislative scrutiny in the assembly.
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, said to be the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, was started by the then BRS government in May 2016.
The commission submitted its report to the Telangana government on July 31, 2025, holding KCR directly and vicariously accountable for irregularities in planning, execution, completion, operation, and maintenance of the Kaleshwaram project.
The high court's verdict has been welcomed by BRS leaders, who have called it a major relief and a tight slap in the face of the Congress government.
