Formula E race case: Telangana Guv gives nod for prosecution of BRS leader Rama Rao

Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has given nod to the state government for the prosecution of BRS Working President K T Rama Rao in the Formula E race case, official sources said on Thursday.

The Telangana government's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), probing the Formula-E race case, sought state government's permission in September this year to prosecute Rama Rao, who is an MLA, and two other accused.

Apart from Rama Rao, the prime accused, the ACB had written to the government seeking its permission to prosecute senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief engineer B L N Reddy.

Sources, however, said on Thursday that permission for the prosecution of Arvind Kumar was yet to be received from the Central government's Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

The chargesheet in the case is expected to be filed on the offences framed against K T Rama Rao and other accused, they said.

Rama Rao had earlier downplayed the Formula E race case and said he is ready for a lie-detector test.

He had said it was his decision to transfer the money on behalf of the government to the race organisers. His intention was to see that the race takes place in Hyderabad to promote the prestige of the city, he said.

The money sent by the government lies with the organisers and there is no corruption in the matter, Rama Rao claimed.

The Formula-E race was held in Hyderabad in February 2023. Although the second edition of the race was initially planned for 2024, it was cancelled after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023.

The probe against Rama Rao pertains to alleged irregularities in payments amounting to about Rs 55 crore, most of which were in foreign currency, in "violation of laid-down procedures" during the previous BRS regime, for the event planned for 2024.

In December 2024, the ACB registered a case against Rama Rao, Arvind Kumar, and B L N Reddy.