Senior IAS, IPS officers in Telangana face court action over alleged violations

Hyderabad: A few senior IAS and IPS officers have come under the High Court’s scrutiny in recent weeks over various issues, including contempt of court. The cases have raised questions about government priorities, administrative negligence and compliance with judicial orders.

Most of the cases relate to land ownership disputes, unilateral decisions and violations of established rules and procedures. Over the past week, the High Court has taken a serious view of the conduct of several senior officers. Some have also faced punishment.

HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath has come under the court’s scrutiny on several occasions for allegedly bypassing prescribed procedures and initiating action at his discretion. Last week, the High Court directed the Director General of Police and the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to produce Ranganath before it in connection with contempt of court proceedings.

The court had directed the HYDRAA Commissioner and the Tahsildar concerned to appear in person and explain their position in a Shamshabad land dispute. However, both officers sought exemption from personal appearance. The court expressed dissatisfaction with their request.

In another case, Medchal-Malkajgiri Collector Manu Chowdhary also faced the High Court’s displeasure. The court took exception to his failure to appear in person and explain his position in a Bachupally land dispute. He was also accused of failing to comply with the court’s orders.

Rangareddy Collector Narayana Reddy was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court. The High Court also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on him. The case concerned the classification of land under the prohibited category.

The court had directed the Rangareddy district administration to remove certain lands in Turkayamjal, identified under different survey numbers, from the prohibited list under Section 22-A. The Collector was given 60 days to complete the exercise. However, he failed to comply with the directions, resulting in the sentence.

In August, Principal Secretary (Finance) Sandeep Kumar Sultania appeared before the High Court in a contempt case over the State government’s alleged failure to remit the stamp duty surcharge to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board.

Earlier, the High Court had directed the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to arrest Sultania in connection with the contempt petition filed by Secunderabad Cantonment Board member Ramakrishna.

The recent instances of IAS and IPS officers facing court action have drawn criticism from employees’ associations, which have questioned the State government’s role in the matter.

A member of the Telangana Government Employees Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) said that while some senior officers were negligent in discharging their duties, most cases arose from government inaction.

The member said officials were often left without clear instructions even after the government assured applicants that their grievances would be addressed. No standing instructions were issued to the concerned officials to resolve specific issues, the member said, citing the controversy over the prohibited land list under Section 22-A as an example.