Corruption Charges Echo in Formula-E Race Controversy

The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has requested permission from the state government to proceed with prosecution against BRS Working President and MLA K T Rama Rao, alongside senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and former HMDA chief engineer B L N Reddy, concerning the Formula-E race case, according to official sources on Tuesday.

Rao, a key figure in the case, had previously been interrogated by the ACB over alleged unauthorized payments made to conduct the 2023 Formula-E race in Hyderabad. Responding to the ACB's prosecution request, Rao, then the Municipal Administration Minister, minimized the importance of the case and expressed readiness for a lie-detector test to affirm his integrity.

Dubbed under potential violations involving about Rs 55 crore primarily in foreign currency, the inquiry focuses on payments made during the former BRS regime that reportedly breached procedural norms, provoking government financial losses. The ACB filed charges against Rao, Kumar, and Reddy under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other applicable IPC sections.

(With inputs from agencies.)