Hyderabad, Jan 7 (PTI) In a setback to BRS Working President K T Rama Rao, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday refused to quash the FIR against him in connection with the Formula E race issue, removing the protection against the arrest given to him.
The High Court had earlier restricted the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) from arresting Rao, son of BRS president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, until the orders were pronounced and the present order removed that protection.
Rao said he has approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order which dismissed his petition.
Speaking to reporters here Tuesday night, he hoped that he will get relief in the apex court.
In a related development, the ACB filed a caveat petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the Formula E race case, official sources said.
Rao said he is also approaching the High Court urging that his lawyer be allowed to assist him when he appears before the ACB on January 9.
As the BRS leader was denied the assistance of his lawyer, he left the ACB’s office without appearing before the officials on January 6. The agency issued him a fresh notice for an appearance on January 9.
Rao also said he would also appear before the ED, which summoned him on January 16.
On December 31, 2024, the HC had reserved its orders on the petition filed by the former minister after hearing the arguments made by the state government as well as the defence in the case registered by the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) which alleged that Rao authorised payments to the tune of Rs 55 crore, most of it in forex, to Formula E Organisation without necessary approvals.
High Court Judge Justice K Lakshman in his order said the allegations indicate that Rao without any approval from the State Cabinet or the finance department directed the HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) to pay huge sums of money to a foreign company.
“Whether the petitioner directed the said payments with a dishonest intention to cause gain to himself or third parties is required to be investigated. The allegations when read together make out a prima facie case of wrongdoing and misappropriation of funds of the HMDA,” the order said.
The investigating agency should have a reasonable opportunity to investigate and collect evidence. Therefore, the court cannot “haste and thwart” the investigation in the present case, it opined.
Denying that the High Court’s order is a setback to him, Rao said the court has only stated that the investigation can go on but not passed any order against him.
The BRS leader, who said there is no corruption in the Formula-E issue, alleged that the Congress government was foisting cases against him with malafide intentions.
The ACB on December 19 registered a case against Rao, also known as KTR, over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct the race in 2023 during the previous regime.
The case was registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC dealing with criminal misappropriation, criminal misconduct, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy that allegedly resulted in loss to the government exchequer to the tune of about Rs 55 crore.
Though the race was supposed to be held in February 2024 as well, it was cancelled after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023.
Rao, who was Municipal Administration Minister during the previous BRS regime, now an MLA, has been named as prime accused in the ACB’s FIR.
Meanwhile, the ACB conducted searches at the offices of Ace Nxt Gen Pvt Ltd, (sponsor), a company registered for conducting Formula E races and two other firms in connection with the case here and other locations in Andhra Pradesh, official sources said.
The event was conducted in February 2023 and the fee and other payments were paid by the sponsor, they said.
The company later dropped out of the sponsorship in 2024 citing non-viability, Rao had earlier said. PTI GDK VVK SJR SJR KH
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