Hyderabad: Smita Sabharwal, known for expressing her views openly on various issues and often courting controversy, has questioned what she described as selective targeting by the police in a post on X regarding the Kancha Gachibowli land issue.
The 2001 batch IAS officer appeared before the Gachibowli police on Saturday after receiving a notice over a retweet involving an alleged AI-generated image related to the Kancha Gachibowli land matter. Following her appearance, she took to X to express her resentment over being served the notice.
The secretary of the department of tourism and culture stated on X: “I have fully cooperated with the Gachibowli police authorities and provided my detailed statement today, as a law-abiding citizen, under the BNSS Act. The post was reshared by 2,000 individuals on the platform. I sought clarification on whether the same action is initiated for all.” She further added, “If not, this raises concerns about selective targeting, which in turn compromises the principles of natural justice and equality before the law.”
Reacting strongly to her tweet, Telangana CM’s chief public relations officer (CPRO), Ayodhya Reddy, said that during her tenure in the CMO under the BRS regime, and while she was in charge of the irrigation departments, numerous trees were felled without obtaining the necessary permissions, thereby violating regulations for various projects such as the Kaleshwaram Project, which also impacted wildlife. “Is this shift in her stance for the sake of wildlife, or for those who have lost power (BRS)?” he remarked on X.
This is not the first time the IAS officer has been embroiled in controversy. Last year, she attracted criticism for her comments on the need for reservations for persons with disabilities in the All India Services (AIS). Her remarks came amidst a controversy surrounding the recruitment of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar under the disability quota.
She stated, “With all due respect to the differently abled: does an airline hire a pilot with a disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability? The nature of AIS (IAS/IPS/IFoS) involves fieldwork, long and taxing hours, and listening first-hand to people’s grievances — all of which require physical fitness. Why does this premier service require such a quota in the first place?”
Many organisations objected to her remarks on X, and a public interest litigation (PIL) was subsequently filed, though it was dismissed by the high court.
In 2022, she also stirred controversy for publicly criticising the release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case. At the time, she was serving in the Telangana chief minister’s office (CMO).
Following the change in govt with the Congress coming to power, she was transferred to Telangana finance commission and later to the department of tourism and culture. She is currently overseeing arrangements for the 72nd Miss World 2025, set to be held in Hyderabad.
