Telangana HC sentences Rangareddy Collector to 6 months in jail

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court sentenced Rangareddy district Collector C Narayana Reddy to six months of imprisonment in a contempt of court case.

Justice K Lakshman found the IAS officer guilty of wilfully disobeying the court’s order. A fine of Rs 2,000 has also been imposed on Reddy.

However, the judge suspended the sentence for four weeks. The suspension was to allow the Collector to challenge the verdict through an appeal.

Couple files contempt petition against Rangareddy Collector

P Shivaleela and her husband P Venkateshwarlu filed the contempt case against the Collector. They alleged that Reddy had deliberately ignored a High Court order passed in 2025.

It all began after the couple approached the court seeking directions to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for their open plots in Turkayamjal, Rangareddy district.

On August 5, 2025, the High Court directed the Collector to examine their request to remove the plots from the list of prohibited properties.

The court had also instructed the official to issue a detailed order explaining the reasons why he decided to reject their request. The decision had to be communicated to the couple within 60 days.

Collector acted only after contempt notices

The High Court observed that the Rangareddy Collector neither challenged the original order through an appeal nor passed a decision within the 60-day deadline.

Justice K Lakshman held that the failure to follow the court’s directions amounted to wilful disobedience.

The judge also pointed out that Reddy rejected the couple’s request only after receiving notices in the contempt proceedings.

Based on these findings, the High Court convicted the Collector of contempt of court.

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