The Telangana High Court has issued a bailable warrant against senior IAS officer and Finance Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania in a contempt of court case. The court has directed the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to arrest him and produce him before the court on Friday, August 7, at 10.30 am.
Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka passed the order on July 10 while hearing a contempt petition filed by former Secunderabad Cantonment Board member J Ramakrishna, who alleged that the state government had wilfully failed to comply with a 2024 High Court order.
The court directed the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to arrest Sultania "wherever he is found" and produce him before the court at 10.30 am on August 7. It also instructed the commissioner to execute the warrant and submit a detailed report before the next hearing, explaining how the warrant was executed or, if it could not be carried out, the reasons for its non-execution.
The order stated that Sultania could be released on bail if he furnishes a personal bond of Rs 5,000 along with an undertaking to appear before the court on August 7 at 10.30 am and continue attending subsequent hearings until directed otherwise.
The contempt petition stems from a 2024 High Court order directing the Telangana government to consider a representation submitted by Ramakrishna regarding the remission of a pending surcharge on stamp duty allegedly collected from the Secunderabad Cantonment Board.
Alleging that the government had failed to comply with the court's directions, Ramakrishna moved the High Court with a contempt petition in March 2026.
During the proceedings, the court initially issued a contempt notice to Sultania, directing him to file a counter-affidavit. It also instructed him to appear before the court if the counter was not filed.
However, the court noted that no counter-affidavit had been submitted and that no one had appeared on Sultania's behalf. The matter was adjourned, directing his appearance on the next hearing date.
When the case was taken up again on July 10, the government's counsel sought additional time to file the counter-affidavit. Justice Bheemapaka recorded that neither a counter-affidavit nor an application seeking exemption from personal appearance had been filed. Rejecting the request for further time, the court issued the bailable warrant against the senior IAS officer.