Telangana Governor Authorizes Investigation Against KTR Over Rs 54.88 Crore Formula-E Race Scandal

Hyderabad:

Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has authorized an investigation into senior BRS leader KT Rama Rao regarding an alleged Rs 54.88 crore scam connected to Formula-E race hosting. The approval was granted on Thursday for the probe against the son of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The case against the five-time MLA was filed last year, alleging irregularities and financial discrepancies, which prompted the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau to initiate an investigation.

KT Rama Rao stands accused of abusing his authority and misappropriating government funds during his tenure as Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development.

According to sources who spoke to NDTV, now that Governor Varma has approved the inquiry, anti-corruption officials are expected to intensify their investigation into the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader.

In June, the ACB interrogated KTR for approximately eight hours and requested he surrender his mobile phone and other personal electronic devices. He refused this request, citing constitutional and legal protections that he claimed entitled him to decline.

In response to the investigation, KTR targeted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, alleging that ACB officials posed questions 'provided' by the ruling Congress party. "Since Revanth Reddy was previously imprisoned, he is attempting to incarcerate others merely for sadistic pleasure. If I am imprisoned, I will not be intimidated," he stated.

The agency filed the case in December based on a complaint from a government official who alleged that foreign remittances were made without proper approval from relevant regulatory authorities, resulting in an additional tax burden of Rs 8.06 crore.

It was further alleged that the payment was processed during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the 2023 Assembly election, without obtaining prior approval from the Election Commission.

The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a case in this matter.