Telangana High Court Sentences IAS Officer C. Narayana Reddy to Six Months in Jail for Contempt
The Telangana High Court has sentenced Ranga Reddy District Collector C. Narayana Reddy (IAS: 2015: Telangana) to six months’ simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 for wilful disobedience of its directions in a land dispute. The execution of the jail sentence has, however, been suspended for four weeks to allow him to challenge the verdict.
The Telangana High Court has sentenced C. Narayana Reddy (IAS: 2015: Telangana), the Collector and District Magistrate of Ranga Reddy district, to six months’ simple imprisonment in a contempt of court case arising from his failure to comply with judicial directions concerning two disputed land plots in Turkayamjal. Justice K. Lakshman held the officer guilty of wilful and deliberate disobedience of the court’s earlier order. The High Court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000.
However, the court suspended the execution of the imprisonment sentence for four weeks, giving the IAS officer an opportunity to approach the appropriate appellate forum and challenge the verdict.
The contempt proceedings followed a petition filed by P. Shivaleela and her husband, P. Venkateshwarlu, who alleged that the District Collector had failed to act on the High Court’s directions concerning their properties.
Why Did the Telangana High Court Sentence the IAS Officer?
The dispute relates to two properties – Plot No. 59 and the eastern portion of Plot No. 62 – located in Manne Muthyalamma Kunta, Turkayamjal, in Ranga Reddy district.The petitioners had sought the removal of their plots from the prohibitory list maintained under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908.
They approached the High Court seeking directions to the District Collector to consider their representation and facilitate the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the properties.
On August 5, 2025, the High Court directed the Collector to examine the representation, pass a reasoned order within 60 days and communicate the decision to the petitioners.
However, the Collector did not issue a decision within the stipulated period. This prompted the couple to initiate contempt proceedings, alleging non-compliance with the court’s directions.
Collector Issued Rejection Orders After Contempt Proceedings Began
During the contempt proceedings, the High Court noted that the Collector had issued notices to the petitioners and subsequently rejected their request on February 26, 2026, after the contempt case had been initiated.
Another rejection order was issued on July 8, 2026.
The Collector relied on procedural and land-revenue-related issues in his defence. However, the court found the explanation insufficient to justify the delay and failure to comply with its earlier directions. The High Court emphasised that a government official who disagrees with a judicial direction must seek appropriate legal remedies rather than disregard the order.
Telangana: C Narayana Reddy Sentenced to Six Months in Jail for Contempt
The Telangana High Court has sentenced Ranga Reddy District Collector C. Narayana Reddy (IAS: 2015: Telangana) to six months’ simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 for wilful disobedience of its directions in a land dispute. The execution of the jail sentence has, however, been suspended for four weeks to allow him to challenge the verdict.
The Telangana High Court has sentenced C. Narayana Reddy (IAS: 2015: Telangana), the Collector and District Magistrate of Ranga Reddy district, to six months’ simple imprisonment in a contempt of court case arising from his failure to comply with judicial directions concerning two disputed land plots in Turkayamjal. Justice K. Lakshman held the officer guilty of wilful and deliberate disobedience of the court’s earlier order. The High Court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000.
However, the court suspended the execution of the imprisonment sentence for four weeks, giving the IAS officer an opportunity to approach the appropriate appellate forum and challenge the verdict.
The contempt proceedings followed a petition filed by P. Shivaleela and her husband, P. Venkateshwarlu, who alleged that the District Collector had failed to act on the High Court’s directions concerning their properties.
Why Did the Telangana High Court Sentence the IAS Officer?
The dispute relates to two properties – Plot No. 59 and the eastern portion of Plot No. 62 – located in Manne Muthyalamma Kunta, Turkayamjal, in Ranga Reddy district.The petitioners had sought the removal of their plots from the prohibitory list maintained under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908.
They approached the High Court seeking directions to the District Collector to consider their representation and facilitate the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the properties.
On August 5, 2025, the High Court directed the Collector to examine the representation, pass a reasoned order within 60 days and communicate the decision to the petitioners.
However, the Collector did not issue a decision within the stipulated period. This prompted the couple to initiate contempt proceedings, alleging non-compliance with the court’s directions.
Collector Issued Rejection Orders After Contempt Proceedings Began
During the contempt proceedings, the High Court noted that the Collector had issued notices to the petitioners and subsequently rejected their request on February 26, 2026, after the contempt case had been initiated.
Another rejection order was issued on July 8, 2026.
The Collector relied on procedural and land-revenue-related issues in his defence. However, the court found the explanation insufficient to justify the delay and failure to comply with its earlier directions.The High Court emphasised that a government official who disagrees with a judicial direction must seek appropriate legal remedies rather than disregard the order.
Six-Month Imprisonment and ₹2,000 Fine
After examining the circumstances, Justice K. Lakshman concluded that the Collector’s conduct amounted to wilful and deliberate disobedience of the court’s directions.The High Court consequently imposed the following punishment:
* Imprisonment: Six months of simple imprisonment.
* Fine: ₹2,000.
* Suspension of sentence: Execution of the imprisonment sentence suspended for four weeks.
The four-week suspension provides the officer an opportunity to challenge the contempt verdict before an appropriate appellate forum.The ruling relates specifically to the Collector’s compliance with the High Court’s directions in the Turkayamjal land dispute.
Who Is C. Narayana Reddy?
C. Narayana Reddy is a 2015-batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre who entered the IAS through promotion from the State Civil Service.He is currently serving as the Collector and District Magistrate of Ranga Reddy district, a position he assumed in October 2024.
Before his present assignment, Reddy served as District Collector of Vikarabad from February 2023 to October 2024. He had earlier held the post of District Collector of Nizamabad from December 2019 to February 2023.
As Ranga Reddy District Collector, he heads the district administration and oversees revenue matters, implementation of government programmes and coordination of administrative activities.The High Court’s contempt ruling marks a significant judicial development concerning the responsibility of public officials to comply with court orders.
