Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao on Tuesday, January 7, criticised the Telangana High Court’s verdict on anti-corruption bureau’s (ACB) corruption case against the party’s working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) saying the latter would come out of controversy clean.
Addressing the media at KTR’s residence, the former minister reminded how the current Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed with bundles of cash and sent to jail while his nephew, KTR, worked tirelessly to enhance Hyderabad’s brand image by bringing the prestigious Formula E race to Hyderabad.
Harish Rao accused CM Revanth of framing KTR in “illegal cases,” asserting that the High Court verdict did not confirm any wrongdoing but merely called for an investigation.
Formula E case: Telangana HC dismisses KTR’s plea to quash ACB FIR
“Our legal cell will review the High Court judgement and we will decide on further legal action if needed. KTR has done nothing wrong, and we will face these investigations with confidence,” he told reporters.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned KTR for questioning in the Formula E race case on January 16.
Telangana HC dismisses KTR’s plea against ACB case in Formula E scam
Harish Rao’s reaction comes after the Telangana High Court on Tuesday dismissed KTR’s quash petition against the case registered by the ACB in the alleged Formula E scam. The High Court also turned down a request by KTR’s lawyers who sought protection from arrest for 10 days.
The court, which reserved its orders on the quash petition on December 31, pronounced the same on Tuesday, paving the way for an investigation into the high-profile case. During the hearing of the quash petition, the High Court had barred the ACB from arresting KTR.
During the arguments, Advocate General A Sudershan Reddy, representing the state government, informed the court that Rs 46 crore in British Pounds were paid to Formula E Operations Limited (FEO), citing clear violations of rules.
Formula E case: Telangana HC dismisses KTR’s plea to quash ACB FIR
The government counsel submitted to the court that HMDA required permission from the finance department for payment of more than Rs 10 crore but in this case, it made a total payment of Rs 54 crore without any approval. The court was told that Secretariat Business Rules were not followed and that the then minister KTR signed the note file.
KTR’s counsel Siddhartha Dave argued that the sections invoked by the ACB in the FIR are not valid. He submitted to the bench that it was not proper to name KTR as an accused in the case. He also mentioned that the Secretary, Municipal Administration signed the agreement for the Formula E race.
