Kaleshwaram probe based solely on documents, state tells Telangana high court

Hyderabad: The state govt on Tuesday told Telangana high court that the Justice PC Ghose Commission, which probed alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, relied solely on official records and material placed by the state and central govts and statutory agencies.Advocate general A Sudarshan Reddy informed a bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin that the commission based its findings on documents from authorities such as the National Dam Safety Authority and the Central Water Commission. "No evidence of any person was taken for holding anybody against anyone. (The inquiry was) purely based on these documents," he said, while responding to a petition filed by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao seeking to quash the report. The court recorded the submissions and directed that replies in the present petition, along with similar pleas filed by senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal and former chief secretary SK Joshi, be concluded by Thursday. Petitioners were asked to file their rejoinders thereafter so that arguments could be completed.Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi had earlier concluded submissions in a related petition filed by former minister T Harish Rao. Rejects claims on ToR Citing Supreme Court and high court precedents on commissions of inquiry, the advocate general said the state was empowered to constitute such a panel in matters of public importance, particularly for a project designed to irrigate over 19 lakh acres and meet industrial and drinking water needs. He rejected claims that the terms of reference were premeditated. Responding to the bench, he clarified that the ‘judicial inquiry' tag was used only because a retired judge headed the panel. "Otherwise, it is only a commission appointed under the Commission of Inquiries Act, worked under the Act, acted within the scope of powers given to it under the Act, and submitted its report," he said. The advocate general also referred to observations of the NDSA, expert committee and Comptroller and Auditor General, and flagged the release of ₹2,951 crore for Medigadda construction without cabinet sub-committee approval. He will continue submissions on Thursday.