Telangana High Court gives Ranga Reddy Collector six months in jail for contempt

The Telangana High Court has sentenced the Ranga Reddy District Collector, C. Narayana Reddy, to six months of simple imprisonment for wilfully disobeying one of its orders. Justice K. Lakshman also fined him ₹2,000, according to reports of the order.

The judge suspended the jail term for four weeks, so that the Collector can challenge it in a higher court, the reports said.

What the case was about

The case concerned a request by landowners to take some land parcels off the district’s list of prohibited properties. Land on that list, kept under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908, cannot be sold or registered.

The landowners made their request in 2024. In August 2025, the High Court told the Collector to decide on it within 60 days. He did not decide within that time, the court found.

What the court said

The Collector sent notices to the landowners only after they filed a contempt case, the court noted. It found serious inconsistencies between his explanation and the statements in his counter-affidavit.

Justice Lakshman held that not following the court’s directions amounted to deliberate and wilful disobedience. The judge also said that whether the earlier order was correct could not be reopened in contempt proceedings.

The Collector’s response to the judgment was not available.

The background

The Telangana High Court has sentenced officials for contempt before, including Collectors. In several earlier cases, the sentences were suspended or set aside on appeal.

What’s next

The Collector has four weeks to appeal to a division bench of the High Court before the sentence takes effect.