The Telangana high court on Wednesday allowed a lawyer to accompany Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) office for questioning in connection with the probe into the Formula E race case. The high court, however, made it clear that the advocate could only watch the proceedings as they were directed to sit in the library room opposite the examination chamber.
The high court bench headed by justice K Lakshman permitted Rama Rao’s lawyer to watch the proceedings through a glass room and that they would not be present in the same room when ACB officials would question the former minister in connection with the probe into alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of a Formula E race in Hyderabad in February 2024.
“If you still have any doubts over the arrangements, you can come back to the high court on January 10 and I will grant you protection. I will keep the writ petition pending,” the bench told KTR –– as the BRS leader is popularly known.
The high court asked KTR to appear before the investigating officer at 10.30am on Thursday. His counsel informed the court that former additional advocate general J Ramachander Rao would be present in the library room during the questioning.
The bench gave the order in response to a plea filed by KTR seeking the assistance of a lawyer during questioning. On January 6, the former municipal administration minister, who was summoned in connection with the ongoing probe, said that he was denied the assistance of his lawyer following which he refused to be questioned by the anti-graft agency and left the ACB office without appearing before the officials. The agency later issued him a fresh notice to appear before it on January 9.
{{/usCountry}}The bench gave the order in response to a plea filed by KTR seeking the assistance of a lawyer during questioning. On January 6, the former municipal administration minister, who was summoned in connection with the ongoing probe, said that he was denied the assistance of his lawyer following which he refused to be questioned by the anti-graft agency and left the ACB office without appearing before the officials. The agency later issued him a fresh notice to appear before it on January 9.
{{/usCountry}}A first information report (FIR) against KTR was filed by ACB on December 19 over alleged payments to the tune of ₹55 crore, most of it in foreign currency, to Formula E Organisation Ltd —the organiser of Formula E races — without necessary approvals.
The court, on Wednesday, also refused to allow audio and video recording of the questioning. However, the bench maintained the proceedings could be done under CCTV surveillance.
During the hearing, KTR’s counsel cited several Supreme Court judgments allowing lawyers’ presence during investigations. However, additional advocate general Rajanikant Reddy, arguing for ACB, referred to other judgments where such permissions were denied.
The court clarified that there was no question of allowing a lawyer to directly meet the accused during the investigation. However, since KTR is a former minister and a current MLA, the court asked the ACB if arrangements were made for the lawyer to observe the investigation from a visible distance.
ACB grills senior IAS officer
Senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar, one of the key accused in the Formula E race case, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Bureau on Wednesday morning.
A police official familiar with the development said a team of ACB sleuths questioned Kumar, the special chief secretary in the municipal administration department during the BRS regime, for nearly three hours.
The ACB team questioned him about the rationale behind the transferring of funds to the tune of ₹55 crore, the people behind the decision, and whether the department sought permission from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the transfer.
“Kumar, in his statement, said that funds were released following instructions from KTR,” an official said on condition of anonymity
The Enforcement Directorate also questioned former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief engineer BNL Reddy in connection with the case. Officials said that ED sleuths questioned Reddy why HMDA bore the costs for the Formula E race instead of using sponsors.