Hyderabad, Feb 14 (PTI) The Centre has given permission for the prosecution of senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar in the Formula E race case in which BRS Working President K T Rama Rao is a prime accused.
The Telangana government had written to the Centre, as per the norms, seeking permission for Kumar’s prosecution, police sources said on Saturday.
The case is being probed by the state government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
In November last year, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma had given a nod to the state government for the prosecution of Rao in the Formula E race case.
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 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 Rao, Kumar, and former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief engineer B L N Reddy.
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 take 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, Rao claimed. PTI VVK SJR GDK SJR KH
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