Telangana HC Adjourns Petitions Seeking CBI Probe into Kaleshwaram Project

The petitions were adjourned in view of the fact that the state government had on March 14 constituted a commission of inquiry to be headed Justice Pinaki Chandra Gosh, former judge of the Supreme Court to inquire into allegations of negligence, irregularities and lacunae in planning, designing and construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, the manner of award and execution of contract and the deviations thereof.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, considered the submission by the state government, which told the court on Wednesday that the inquiry commission will submit a report after a thorough inquiry into the alleged irregularities and assignments attached to it. Hence, the bench adjourned the matters seeking a CBI probe.

The bench was dealing with the batch of petitions and PILs filed individually by Prajashanti Party leader K.A. Paul, Prof. M. Kodandarami Reddy, advocate Rammohan Reddy, Vishwanath Reddy and Bakka Judson, who sought a thorough and impartial CBI investigation into the allegations of kickbacks, inflated costs, and substandard construction practices pertaining to the project.

The High Court had earlier inquired into the contention of the state government in some of the petitions that were filed two months back.

It is further submitted that officials from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had visited the site on October 24-25 and communicated the reasons for the sinking of Medigadda barrage piers.

A subsequent vigilance and enforcement (V&E) enquiry on whose preliminary report the state government sent a communication to NDSA seeking a full-fledged inspection covering all related issues pertaining to Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages.

On Wednesday, the advocate general submitted to the court that the inquiry commission was appointed only recently. Considering it, the court adjourned the batch of petitions and PILs to post summer vacation.