Hyderabad, Nov 20 (NationPress) The Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Varma, has approved the prosecution of former minister and BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao concerning the Formula E race case. This decision follows a two-month wait after the state government submitted the necessary file to the Governor, requesting permission to take legal action against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader for the alleged misappropriation of Rs 54.88 crore in public funds.

This approval paves the way for the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to proceed with filing a charge sheet. In September, the ACB had delivered its findings and, through the state government, called for the Governor's sanction to prosecute K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar, and others involved.

However, pursuing charges against Arvind Kumar necessitates consent from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) at the Central level. It remains unclear whether the ACB intends to file a charge sheet for all accused parties after obtaining DoPT's permission or if it will initiate an initial charge sheet solely against KTR.

Following a nine-month investigation into the alleged irregularities surrounding the hosting of the Formula E race in Hyderabad during the previous BRS administration, the ACB submitted its report to the government.

KTR stands accused of having received Rs 44 crore through an electoral bond from a sponsoring company in exchange for granting it the rights to organize the race.

In December of last year, the ACB initiated a case against KTR, former Special Chief Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD), Arvind Kumar, and B.L.N. Reddy, the former Chief Engineer of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), for alleged irregularities amounting to Rs 54.88 crore in the Formula E agreement.

With the Governor's consent, an FIR was filed based on a complaint from M. Dana Kishore, Principal Secretary of MA&UD, who claimed that foreign remittances were processed without prior approval from relevant regulatory bodies, resulting in an additional tax burden of Rs 8.06 crore on HMDA.

The complaint further alleged that payments were made during the Model Code of Conduct for state Assembly elections without the Election Commission's prior approval. The FIR was lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

The ACB has questioned KTR, Arvind Kumar, and B.L.N. Reddy multiple times throughout the investigation.

KTR, who has been interrogated by the ACB on four occasions, dismissed the Formula E allegations as a “bogus case”. He emphasized his efforts in bringing the Formula E race to Hyderabad and acknowledged directing the release of Rs 46 crore from the government, assuring that the funds were deposited into the designated account. “Not a single rupee has been misused. Every rupee is accounted for. Where then is the corruption?” he asserted.

The BRS leader maintained that even if prosecution progresses or charge sheets are filed, they would not hold ground.