Formula-E case; hearing put off to Aug 25

metro india news I hyderabad

BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao appeared before the Special ACB Court at Nampally on Friday in the Formula-E race case, marking his first appearance after the chargesheet was filed in March. The court adjourned the matter to August 25. Apart from Rao, named as the prime accused, senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar (former Municipal Administration Special Chief Secretary) and former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Chief Engineer B.L.N. Reddy also appeared for hearing today. 

Representatives of Formula E Operations (FEO), also named as accused, were absent.

The court supplied Rao with a copy of the chargesheet and related documents. He executed a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh as directed. The court further instructed him to furnish two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each on the next hearing date. No arguments on the merits of the case were heard; proceedings were limited to document supply and formal compliance.

Advocate Laxman Jakkua, representing Rao, confirmed that the trial has not yet begun. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed a 77-page chargesheet on March 23, 2026, naming Rao, Kumar, Reddy and FEO. It contains statements of 14 witnesses and alleges procedural violations in payments linked to the Formula-E event.

The probe centres on alleged irregularities involving around Rs 55 crore (primarily in foreign currency) paid during the previous BRS government for the planned 2024 race. The ACB claims funds for Formula E Season 10 were released without mandatory approvals from the Finance and Law Departments and the State Cabinet, bypassing prescribed procedures. It alleges a direct loss of Rs 54.88 crore to HMDA and an additional potential financial burden of nearly Rs 600 crore on the state, along with undue benefits to a private firm.

The ACB registered the case in December 2024 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code, citing criminal misappropriation, breach of trust and conspiracy. The then Governor sanctioned Rao’s prosecution in November 2025; the Centre cleared action against Kumar.

The inaugural Formula-E race was held in Hyderabad in February 2023. The second edition, scheduled for 2024, was cancelled after the Congress government took office in December 2023.

Rao has denied the allegations, stating that the fund transfer aimed to promote Hyderabad’s image and that the money remains with the organisers with no corruption involved. Rao arrived at the court with BRS legislators, former ministers and senior leaders. A large number of party workers gathered outside. After the hearing, he left for Narsampet to attend the funeral of former MLA and Telangana movement leader Peddi Sudarshan Reddy.