Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has suffered a significant setback after the High Court issued a sensational order directing the state government to remove senior IPS officer Ranganath from his post as HYDRA Commissioner at the earliest. The ruling comes as an unexpected blow to HYDRA, a body the Chief Minister has treated as one of his most prestigious initiatives.
The High Court made clear that HYDRA officials had seriously violated the court’s own directions in a land dispute involving nearly 40 acres linked to Shanta Sriram Constructions. The court stated in no uncertain terms that entering the disputed property with heavy machinery and personnel, in defiance of its orders, was completely unlawful.
The court expressed strong displeasure, noting that Commissioner Ranganath had acted in disregard of its directions and that multiple contempt-of-court cases were already pending against him. The bench remarked sharply that if Ranganath continued in the post, it would erode the authority of law and undermine the rule of law in a democracy.
Against this backdrop, the High Court directed the state’s Chief Secretary to appoint a suitable officer of secretary rank in place of the HYDRA Commissioner. The court’s decision to effectively order the transfer of the HYDRA chief — an official seen as central to executing the Chief Minister’s strategic priorities — has triggered strong political reverberations.
While opposition parties have described the ruling as a slap in the face for the government, sources indicate that the Revanth Reddy administration is seeking legal opinion on the verdict and preparing to approach a division bench in response.