K.T. Rama Rao Files Petition in High Court to Dismiss ACB Case Related to Formula E Race
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Hyderabad, Dec 20 (NationPress) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K.T. Rama Rao has approached the Telangana High Court with a request to dismiss the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case filed against him for purported corruption in the organization of the Formula E race.
Rama Rao submitted a lunch motion petition before the Justice Shravan Kumar Bench.
The petitioner sought that the petition be addressed for hearing post-lunch.
The ACB registered a case against Rama Rao on Thursday concerning alleged misuse of public funds during the Formula E race event held in Hyderabad last year while the BRS was in power.
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, alongside Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.
It is claimed that following the directive of then industry minister Rama Rao, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority disbursed Rs.55 crore to a foreign entity in contravention of RBI guidelines.
The financial transactions were allegedly executed without securing necessary approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.
Rama Rao was identified as the first accused in the FIR, while IAS officer and former HMDA Commissioner Arvind Kumar and ex HMDA Chief Engineer BLN Reddy were listed as the second and third accused, respectively.
The FIR was filed shortly after Governor Jishnu Dev Varma authorized legal proceedings against Rama Rao upon a request from the state government.
In a press briefing on Thursday night, Rama Rao refuted the allegations and provided insights into the transaction.
He confirmed that the HMDA indeed paid Rs.55 crore to the organizers, who also acknowledged receipt of the same.
He urged the state government to clarify where the corruption lay in this transaction. The BRS leader accused the government of pursuing political retribution, asserting that the Formula E Race conducted last year aimed to enhance the brand image of Hyderabad and Telangana.
Noting that the Formula-E Race was contracted for four seasons on October 25, 2022, the former minister emphasized the goal of positioning Telangana as a center for Electric Vehicles (EV).
Rama Rao clarified that the HMDA acted in compliance with legal regulations, and funds were transferred transparently through official government banking channels.
He highlighted that Hyderabad had achieved international recognition through the Formula E event, attracting considerable investments in the EV sector.
Nonetheless, he criticized the state government’s mismanagement of the situation, which he claimed harmed the reputation of Hyderabad and Telangana on a global scale.
Rama Rao accused the government of orchestrating unfounded and politically driven cases to distract the public from its administrative shortcomings, asserting that he would confront the case through legal means.
