Hyderabad, July 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao on Friday appeared before the special ACB court in Hyderabad in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Formula E car race case.
Rama Rao, who is the main accused in the case, appeared before the court along with other accused persons in compliance with summons issued in May. Indian Administrative Service officer Arvind Kumar and former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Chief Engineer B.L.N. Reddy also appeared before the court.
The accused completed legal formalities, including furnishing sureties of Rs 1 lakh each. The court subsequently adjourned the matter for further hearing to August 25.
Several BRS leaders, including former ministers Sabita Indra Reddy and Mahmood Ali, MLA Kaushik Reddy and party leader Praveen Kumar, reached the Nampally court complex along with a large number of supporters to express solidarity with Rama Rao.
The case relates to alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of the Formula E race in Hyderabad during the previous BRS government. According to the chargesheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), around Rs 55 crore was allegedly transferred to a foreign entity in violation of prescribed procedures during the 2023 event.
Rama Rao has been named as accused number one in the case, which pertains to alleged misuse of public funds. The ACB has questioned him, Arvind Kumar and B.L.N. Reddy multiple times during the investigation.
Rama Rao, who was questioned by the agency on four occasions, has rejected the allegations and described the case as politically motivated.
The investigation gained momentum after then Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma granted sanction for prosecution of Rama Rao in November last year. The ACB had earlier submitted its report to the state government and sought approval to proceed against Rama Rao, Arvind Kumar and others.
The ACB registered the case in December 2024 against Rama Rao, Arvind Kumar and B.L.N. Reddy over alleged irregularities involving Rs 54.88 crore in the Formula E agreement. The FIR was based on a complaint by Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary M. Dana Kishore.
The complaint alleged that foreign payments were made without obtaining mandatory approvals from regulatory authorities, resulting in an additional tax liability of Rs 8.06 crore for the HMDA.
The BRS leader has also been accused by investigators of receiving Rs 44 crore through electoral bonds from a sponsorship company in connection with granting rights for organising the race. Rama Rao has denied the allegations.
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