Formula E case: KTR refuses to appear before ACB alone, ask to defer date

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) did not appear before the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for questioning in the Formula E case today.

However, he urged the investigation agency to wait till the High Court decides his plea. KTR has been named accused 1 in the case and the ACB asked him to appear before them for investigation on Monday.

The BRS leader requested the ACB to tell him what documents are expected from him during questioning.

High drama unfolded at the Telangana ACB office here after KTR, who was summoned in connection with the ongoing investigation into Formula E race case, was denied the company of his lawyer, prompting him to submit his statement outside the office.

KTR reached the ACB headquarters shortly after 10 am and was barred from entering the premises by the police, who objected to the presence of his lawyer.

However, KTR refused to appear alone before the ACB. He even stated that he would either wait on the road or submit a written explanation to the police and leave the office.

After negotiating with the police for 30 minutes, the BRS working president handed over his written statement intended for submission to an ACB official, outside the office and returned without appearing before the officials and left for the Telangana Bhavan.

Asserting his fundamental right to legal representation KTR told media that he insisted on his lawyer's presence.

KTR further claimed that the ACB was planning to conduct raids at his residence. "Now they (officials) are saying you can't take the lawyer inside. So, I have given my statement whatever I had to give inside the office, I have given my statement to the DSP rank officer of ACB. He has given me acknowledgement," he said.

“I am a law-abiding citizen. The High Court has directed me to appear before the ACB and I have followed. The government has all the information which they are seeking, yet I am ready to answer. Why are the rules different for me? Why is my legal team not allowed? I have information that they want to raid my place and plant documents."

“I have the right to have my counsel present, but they appear to disagree. They made detailed arguments at the High Court, and the case is currently sub judice. The court has reserved the judgment. I am a law-abiding person, but if they do not want to respect my rights, I will walk away.”

BRS working president also said police are colluding against him. “They might even plant evidence against me at my home like they did to former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy and obtained a fake confession from him in connection with an attack on government officials in Vikarabad district in November last year."

"Conspiracies are being hatched to place anti-law and illegal objects in my house during the attacks, which are being planned at the behest of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy," KTR said and called him a "third-rated criminal".

KTR also noted that regardless of the planned attacks and attention diversion cases, the BRS would continue to fight against the Congress government's faulty policies and corrupt practices.

KTR's lawyer Soma Bharat Kumar told the reporters that having an advocate as an assistant is a fundamental right.

Last week, the Telangana ACB served a notice to the BRS MLA to appear before it on January 6 after he was named as prime accused in the FIR.

The ACB on December 19 registered a case against 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.

KTR, who was Municipal Administration Minister during the previous BRS regime, was also summoned by the ED for questioning on January 7 over alleged irregularities in conducting the race in Hyderabad.