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Telangana High Court rejects KCRs Petition
n a significant setback to former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the Telangana High Court has dismissed his writ petition seeking to halt the proceedings of the Justice L. Narasimha Reddy Commission. This commission was established by the Congress to investigate Power Purchase Agreements made by the previous BRS government with Chhattisgarh.
The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, delivered the verdict on Rao’s petition, which was filed on June 25. The court had previously reserved its decision on June 28.
K. Chandrasekhar Rao, also known as KCR, who served as Chief Minister from 2014 to 2023, argued that the formation of the commission was beyond the powers granted by the Commission of Inquiry Act-1952 and the Electricity Act-2003. He had also requested that Justice Narasimha Reddy recuse himself from leading the commission.
The commission is tasked with examining the power purchase agreements with Chhattisgarh and the construction of the Bhadradri and Yadadri Thermal Power Plants during Rao’s administration. KCR sought a stay on the March 14 government order establishing the commission, alleging bias and pre-judgment of the issues before all parties had been heard.
KCR’s counsel, Aditya Sondhi, contended that the commission’s formation lacked jurisdiction because the terms of reference were already under adjudication by both the Telangana and Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commissions. He argued that the Commission of Inquiry Act does not grant the commission the authority to make findings on matters already being decided by quasi-judicial authorities.
The court was informed that the commission had requested details from KCR regarding the power purchase agreements and the construction of power plants. KCR, occupied with campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, sought additional time to respond. However, before he could reply, Justice Narasimha Reddy publicly stated that there were irregularities in these agreements and constructions.
Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy countered the petitioner’s claims of bias, arguing that the petition was both unmaintainable and misconceived. He pointed out that a public notice inviting objections to the formation of the commission had been issued, but no responses were received.
In conclusion, the High Court dismissed KCR’s petition, allowing the Justice L. Narasimha Reddy Commission to proceed with its investigation into the power purchase agreements and thermal power plant constructions during the BRS government’s tenure.
