The Telangana High Court’s single bench of Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao issued notices to MLA K. Tarakarama Rao (KTR), Telangana Chief Electoral Officer, Returning Officer-cum-RDO, Sircilla-29 AC, and others in two election petitions challenging his election. The hearing was adjourned for four weeks for filing counter-affidavits.
K K Mahender Reddy and Lagishetti Srinivas from Rajanna Sircilla district filed separate petitions challenging KTR’s election. They claimed that KTR deliberately left out information about his son, K. Himanshu Rao, being financially independent in his election affidavit. Himanshu had purchased agricultural land worth lakhs of rupees, which raised questions about his source of income.
The petitioners argued that KTR’s failure to disclose this information in his affidavit amounted to corrupt practices under the Representation of People Act, 1951. Mahender Reddy, who contested on a Congress ticket against KTR, highlighted these discrepancies in court.
Meanwhile, two PILs seeking a CBI probe into the allotment of government land to IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd were heard by the HC division bench on Friday. The PILs were filed by T Sriranga Rao, seeking an investigation into the non-transparent allotment of 850 acres of land by the then AP government at a low cost for sports academies.
Devadatt Kumar, representing the former Sports Minister involved in the land allotment, filed a petition to be heard in the case. The bench agreed to hear his petition and adjourned the PILs to July 2. Earlier this year, the court had dismissed IMG Bharata’s claim of ownership of the land and restored it to the government, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2024.
