Telangana High Court rejects KTR's plea to quash corruption charges in Formula-E race case

Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is investigating Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and Former Minister KTR's alleged involvement in a money laundering case over alleged financial irregularities linked to the Formula-E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023.

On Monday, the ACB summoned KTR to its office in Hyderabad for questioning in connection with the case.

Speaking to ANI, KTR claimed that the ACB was not allowing his advocates to the questioning.

"I am here as a law-abiding citizen respecting the High Court, respecting Anti Corruption Bureau's direction to appear before them. I'm here, but they're not allowing my advocates, they're not allowing me to have my own rights. As a citizen, I am entitled to my lawyers being present with me. But unfortunately, they seem to have a different opinion," KTR said.

On December 19, Telangana ACB registered a case against BRS working president and MLA Rama Rao over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct a Formula-E race in Hyderabad during the previous regime.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against KTR and others in the case.

ED filed the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) after the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KTR and others in the Formula-E funding case.

The FIR lists KTR as the primary accused, with senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and retired bureaucrat BLN Reddy named as the second and third accused, respectively.

The case was filed under applicable sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with provisions of the IPC related to criminal breach of trust and conspiracy. (ANI)