Former Special Secretary of the Telangana CMO, Smita Sabharwal, approached the Telangana High Court on Tuesday, September 23, seeking to quash the findings of the Justice PC Ghose Commission on alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.
In her writ petition Smita Sabharwal sought suspension of the Ghose Commission report dated July 31, 2025. The report had recommended action against her for alleged irregularities in the sanctioning of works related to the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages – which were taken up under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government.
The Commission had observed that Smita Sabharwal had visited barrage sites, reviewed works, and reported the same to the then Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. This was corroborated with photographs. Further, the report stated that the IAS officer had accorded administrative approvals without placing the matter before the cabinet, which the commission termed a “violation of business rules,” Deccan Chronicle reported.
Rejecting these findings, the IAS officer contended that she was not part of the decision-making process and only discharged routine duties as an officer in the CMO.
According to The Times of India, she argued that the Commission made "prejudicial, defamatory and high-handed" remarks against her without issuing notices under sections 8-B and 8-C of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, which she claimed was against the law and natural justice.
Smita Sabharwal had earlier earned the wrath of the Congress government for sharing an AI-generated Ghibli image expressing her protest against the destruction of the 400-acre land in Kancha Gachibowli, the habitat of spotted deers among many wildlife species. Subsequently, she was transferred as Member Secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission.