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The Special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court at Nampally on Friday adjourned the hearing in the alleged Formula E race irregularities case involving Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao to October 30, 2026.
The matter was deferred after certain co-accused entities failed to present themselves before the court during the scheduled hearing. Providing details on the court proceedings, Lalitha Reddy from the BRS Party Legal Cell confirmed that the former Telangana minister appeared in person alongside other accused officials. "Today the matter was posted for the appearance of the accused. Accordingly, KTR appeared before the honourable court, as did other accused officers. However, as the representatives of the company named as accused numbers 5 and 6 did not appear before the honourable court, the matter has been posted to October 30 for further adjudication," Reddy said. Following the hearing, the BRS mounted a sharp offensive against the Congress government, accusing Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of using investigative agencies to systematically target opposition leaders. Speaking to reporters, BRS MLA K Sanjay termed the legal proceedings a targeted campaign of political harassment. "The only thing Revanth Reddy's been doing is troubling the opposition party. We are gonna fight any case he, any case he puts up against us, but we are gonna question him for the people of Telangana," Sanjay asserted. The legislator further affirmed that legal scrutiny would not deter the BRS from cornering the state administration on governance lapses. "We will keep questioning him on Section 22A land issues, we will keep questioning him on job creation, on Rythu Bandhu, and on farm loan," the BRS MLA added. The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case against KTR in 2024 over alleged payments, including some made in foreign currency without necessary approvals, for conducting a Formula E race in Hyderabad during the previous BRS regime. The ACB is investigating alleged financial irregularities in the organisation of the Formula E race in Hyderabad in 2023. The case involves alleged misuse of Rs 44-55 crore, including an alleged transfer of funds by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to London-based Formula E Operations (FEO) without following due process. The alleged fund transfer took place despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force, raising questions over compliance with electoral guidelines. KTR, who was the then Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, has been accused of instructing officials to ensure that HMDA covered the costs of a second edition of the event, which was not subsequently held. The 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. The ED registered the ECIR after the Telangana ACB filed an FIR against KTR and others in connection with the Formula E funding case. (ANI)
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