KCR May Face Cross-Examination in Kaleshwaram Barrage Case

A significant development has occurred in the investigation concerning the construction of the Kaleshwaram barrages. According to reliable sources, the Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission is reportedly considering submitting its final report to the government only after cross-examining former Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, who is believed to have played a pivotal role in the project.

The government has extended the Commission’s deadline by two more months in light of this development.

As per the original schedule, the tenure of the Justice Ghose Commission was set to conclude by the end of this month. Initially, the Commission had planned to assess the roles of Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao and former ministers T. Harish Rao and Etela Rajender solely based on the documents submitted to it and to deliver the report within a week. The Commission had also previously indicated that it could submit the report any time after May 22.

However, adhering to the principle of natural justice—which stipulates that any individual facing allegations must be given an opportunity to present their side—the Commission has reportedly decided to invite Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao for an inquiry and proceed further only after recording his explanations and views.

Accordingly, on Monday, the government decided to extend the Commission’s deadline until July 31. To this effect, Principal Secretary of the Irrigation Department Rahul Bojja issued a government order.

Sources suggest that the Commission may soon issue summons to Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, requesting him to appear within a week of receipt.

Previously, in probes related to the Chhattisgarh electricity purchase and the construction of Yadadri and Bhadradri thermal power plants, the Justice L. Narasimha Reddy Commission also issued summons to Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao. The summons stated: “Certain individuals have made allegations against you. You are being given an opportunity to cross-examine them.” Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao then approached the court, alleging that Justice L. Narasimha Reddy was making public statements portraying him as guilty even before the completion of the inquiry.

Responding to this, the Supreme Court raised objections regarding Justice Narasimha Reddy’s conduct and relieved him of the inquiry responsibilities. Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, who later took over the responsibilities of the Electricity Inquiry Commission, treated a letter written by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao—defending the Chhattisgarh electricity purchase and the Yadadri and Bhadradri thermal plant constructions—as his official explanation.

In view of these past experiences, the Justice Ghose Commission appears to be handling the current investigation with heightened caution and procedural precision, aiming to provide Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao a full opportunity to present his arguments.