‘63 contempt cases’: Telangana High Court orders removal of powerful state govt agency chief

3 min readJul 27, 2026 05:43 PM IST The order to replace Ranganath as HYDRAA chief came amid a long-drawn standoff between the court and the agency.The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Chief Secretary of the state to relieve IPS officer A V Ranganath from his post as the head of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) and appoint a suitable replacement. The order came after the court expressed dissatisfaction with the officer’s apology in a contempt matter. Observing that it was not appropriate for a senior official to face as many as 63 contempt cases, the court observed that Ranganath should be replaced.Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, while passing the order, instructed the state government to ensure compliance and appoint a new officer to head the HYD