Telangana HC Suspends Contempt Order Against HYDRAA Chief AV Ranganath

A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday suspended a single judge’s order that had found HYDRAA chief AV Ranganath guilty of contempt of court and directed the state chief secretary to relieve him from his post for wilful disobedience of court orders.

The matter pertains to an ongoing dispute over approximately 40 acres of land at Lothkunta in Secunderabad, which is claimed to be owned by Shanta Sriram Constructions.

The division bench, comprising Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao, issued the suspension while hearing a contempt appeal moved by Ranganath challenging the single judge's directive. The bench has posted the matter to November 3 for a final hearing.

While granting interim relief to the HYDRAA chief, the high court made it clear that neither Ranganath nor any HYDRAA personnel should enter the disputed site in the interim period.

The legal dispute escalated in July when a single judge directed the chief secretary to identify a suitable replacement for Ranganath. That direction was issued during the hearing of a contempt petition filed by Shanta Sriram Constructions, which alleged that the agency entered the Lothkunta property in violation of existing court orders and demolished structures on the land.

Appearing on behalf of Ranganath, senior counsel Rajiv Shakdher argued before the division bench that although the property dispute has a lengthy history, the punishment handed down to the appellant by the single judge went far beyond what is permissible under contempt rules.