Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court Monday sentenced Ranga Reddy (RR) district Collector C. Narayana Reddy to six months of simple imprisonment. It also imposed a Rs 2,000 fine for contempt of court.
The ruling, delivered by Justice K. Lakshman, found the IAS officer guilty of “wilful disobedience” under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, for failing to decide on a land de-notification plea within a court-mandated 60-day period.
Emphasising that administrative bodies cannot obey judicial directives selectively, the court stated that “right or wrong, the order has to be obeyed”. The court, however, allowed the officer four weeks to file an appeal.
“Rightness or wrongness of the order cannot be urged in contempt proceedings. Right or wrong, the order has to be obeyed. Flouting an order of the court would render the party liable for contempt,” the court said.
The background to the ‘contempt’
The dispute arose from a petition filed by a couple, P. Shivaleela and P. Venkateshwarlu, seeking a no objection certificate (NOC) and the removal of their Turkayamjal property from the state’s list of prohibited properties (real estate that government restricts from being bought, sold, gifted to private individuals) under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908.
Following an August 2025 high court directive to address the representation within 60 days, the administration allegedly delayed action until contempt proceedings were initiated in October 2025, ultimately rejecting the claim in early 2026, and not issuing an NOC despite the court asking the officer to reconsider the request.
The administration filed a counter affidavit, but the court criticised it, labelling claims of prompt enquiry as “palpably false”, since movement occurred only after the contempt notice was served.
Appearing on behalf of the officer and the State of Telangana, Muralidhar Reddy Katram, the government pleader for revenue, said that notices were issued and material was called for from the then Tehsildar and the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) on receipt of the high court’s order.
However, the petitioner’s side pointed out that in the hearing held on 21 February 2026, the columns for the signatures of the RDO, the Tehsildar and the Authorised Officer were left blank, even though the petitioner present signed in his column.
Rejecting the defence’s technical arguments, Justice Lakshman ruled that the explanation was unsatisfactory and that the officer wilfully chose to disobey the mandate.
Despite multiple attempts made by ThePrint to speak to the Ranga Reddy district collector on Whatsapp calls, there was no response.
C. Narayana Reddy is a 2015-batch officer of the Telangana cadre, and he entered the civil services through the State Civil Service promotion route. Over his 11-year administrative career, he has predominantly served as a district administrator in critical, high-revenue zones of the state. Before he was appointed Collector and District Magistrate of the RR district in October 2024, he served as Vikarabad district Collector.
His longest single posting was a three-year term as the Collector of Nizamabad district from December 2019 to February 2023.
Known within bureaucratic channels as a low-profile civil servant, he has faced a tenure in Ranga Reddy—a district infamous for complex peri-urban real estate tangles—dominated by high-stakes land acquisition and regularisation cases filed against the administration.
Following the high court verdict, the Telangana government and the Telangana IAS Officers’ Association moved swiftly behind the scenes to address the legal crisis. While the association has chosen not to issue a public condemnation, senior civil servants confirmed that they were preparing an appeal against the sentence.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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