Telangana HC hears KCR’s plea on power purchase

A Division Bench of Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, heard the writ petition filed by former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao seeking a stay on the GO. Ms. No. 9 energy department order dated March 14, 2024, which constituted a One-Man Commission headed by former judge Justice L. Narasimha Reddy to investigate the procurement of power from Chhattisgarh by Telangana Discoms and the construction of the Bhadradri and Yadadri Thermal Power Plants during the BRS government.

The petition was listed before the Division Bench at the scrutiny stage as the Registry had raised an objection to naming Justice L. Narasimha Reddy (retd) as a respondent in a "personal capacity" in the petition filed by Chandrashekar Rao. Aditya Sondhi, senior counsel from Delhi, representing Chandrashekar Rao, argued that it was necessary to name Justice L. Narasimha Reddy as a



respondent. He contended that Justice Reddy had concluded that the previous government committed irregularities causing a loss of `250 crore to `300 crore to the State Exchequer without providing Chandrashekar Rao the opportunity to present his contentions before the Commission. Additionally, he stated that Justice Reddy conducted a press conference explaining to the media before completing the inquiry, demonstrating bias.

Chief Justice Alok Aradhe questioned the impact of the report, suggesting that it could be discussed in the Assembly. Sondhi responded that holding a press conference was inappropriate and that the commission's duty was solely to submit the report to the government. After these clarifications, the High Court overruled the Registry's objections, and the Division Bench proceeded to hear whether Chandrashekar Rao's petition should be admitted.