State Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao appeared before the High Court on Wednesday in connection with a contempt case related to his tenure as Principal Secretary of the Finance department.
During the hearing, he informed the court that its earlier directions had been complied with and submitted supporting documents. Taking note of the compliance, the court closed the contempt proceedings.
The case originated from a 2018 petition filed by two part-time sweepers working in the Irrigation department in Suryapet district. They sought directions to the government to grant them minimum time-scale pay along with increments.
After completing the hearing, the High Court in 2023 allowed the petition and directed the authorities to examine their request. However, alleging non-compliance with the court’s order by the Finance department, the petitioners later filed a contempt plea.
The matter was heard by Justice EV Venugopal. In response to the court’s directions, Ramakrishna Rao, who was serving as Finance department principal secretary at the time of the original order, appeared before the bench and submitted that the orders had been implemented. Satisfied with the explanation and evidence provided, the court closed the contempt petition.
HC rejects retd official’s plea to quash PMLA case
The Telangana High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by a retired railway official challenging money laundering proceedings on the ground of absence of prior sanction under Section 197 of the CrPC. Justice N Tukaramji held that the plea was premature and devoid of merit, observing that the alleged acts, bribery, possession of disproportionate assets, and laundering of proceeds of crime, do not bear a reasonable nexus to official duties. The petitioner, a retired senior divisional engineer in South Central Railway, was earlier prosecuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation for corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Though initially convicted, he was later acquitted by the high court, with a Special Leave Petition currently pending before the Supreme Court of India.
Subsequently, the Directorate of Enforcement initiated proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), treating the corruption case as a scheduled offence. Charges were framed in March 2025 in Special Case of 2015. The petitioner contended that, as a public servant, prior sanction under Section 197 CrPC was mandatory before taking cognizance. However, the court rejected this argument, relying on precedents including PK Pradhan vs State of Sikkim and Shambhoo Nath Misra vs State of UP, which clarify that sanction is required only when the alleged acts are directly connected to official duties.
The court emphasized that criminal acts such as bribery and money laundering fall outside the scope of official functions. It further held that the issue of sanction, if relevant, can be examined during trial. Accordingly, the writ petition seeking quashing of proceedings was dismissed.