HC orders immediate removal of Ranganath

During my two-year tenure as HYDRA Commissioner, I have acted in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution—specifically Articles 21 and 48A—to protect government assets, lakes, and parks. Their market value stands at Rs 1.50 lakh crore (17 billion dollars). We have fully restored six lakes, and restoration work on another 20 is proceeding rapidly

AV Ranganath,

HYDRA Commissioner

metro india news I hyderabad

In a stern assertion of judicial authority, the Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Chief Secretary to immediately relieve IPS officer A.V. Ranganath from his post as Commissioner of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) and appoint a suitable replacement.

The order was passed by Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti while hearing a batch of contempt petitions arising from alleged repeated violations of court orders in a land dispute involving approximately 40 acres in Lothkunta, Secunderabad. The petitions were filed by M/s Shanta Sriram Constructions Private Limited, which claims ownership of the property through a 1955 purchase backed by revenue records. The state maintains the land is government property based on the 1937 General Land Register.

The company alleged that HYDRAA officials, accompanied by nearly 50 vehicles and around 200 personnel, entered the site in July, damaged containers, furniture and tin-sheet structures, and asserted government ownership despite existing restraining orders.

The case had already taken an extraordinary turn. On July 23, the court, expressing complete loss of faith in the state and its agencies, ordered the deployment of the Indian Army to secure the property and authorised the force to take into custody anyone, including HYDRAA officials, found entering the land. That order was later kept in abeyance after the Advocate General assured the court that an affidavit would be filed.

On July 24, the court directed Ranganath to submit a personal affidavit containing an apology and an explanation for the alleged interference. Although an affidavit was eventually filed, the court found it unsatisfactory. Ranganath denied that HYDRAA personnel had entered the disputed land, claimed the petitioner had misrepresented facts, and expressed faith in the judiciary. Justice Jukanti rejected the apology, noting that as many as 63 contempt cases were pending against the officer during his roughly 1.5-year tenure.

HYDRAA, established in 2024 to protect government assets, lakes and public land from encroachments, has been credited by the government with large-scale land reclamation. It has, however, faced criticism over alleged selective targeting and demolition drives. The High Court’s decisive direction highlighted the judiciary’s insistence on strict compliance with its orders and signals that institutional defiance will not be tolerated. The Chief Secretary has been asked to ensure Ranganath’s immediate replacement.