The commission set up by the Revanth Reddy government in the Kaleshwaram project issue is now being seen as incomplete and ineffective. With recent developments, it can be said that the Congress government in Telangana has received a major setback. It is known that the state government had appointed a commission headed by Justice P. C. Ghose to probe irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. However, instead of investigating the entire spectrum of alleged corruption, the commission was limited to examining issues such as irregularities in barrages, design flaws, and related aspects. While the formation of the commission itself was legally valid, the Telangana High Court observed that it did not follow proper procedures. The court also directed that no action should be taken against former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former minister T. Harish Rao based on the commission’s report.
Along with them, IAS officers who handled irrigation responsibilities during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi regime—S.K. Joshi and Smita Sabharwal—also approached the court seeking to quash the commission’s report. After a detailed hearing on all petitions, the court delivered its verdict on Wednesday. Following this ruling, the next steps of the Revanth Reddy government have become crucial. It has already been over two and a half years since the government came to power, yet no concrete action has been taken in this matter.
The High Court’s remark that the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission failed to follow due procedures has raised suspicions that something is amiss in the entire process. From the beginning, there have been doubts about the government’s sincerity in addressing alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram project during the BRS regime. The primary reason cited for this is the limited terms of reference given to the P.C. Ghose Commission, which many believe restricted a comprehensive investigation.