Approval Granted for Prosecution of Telangana Minister in Formula-E Case

The Governor of Telangana has granted approval to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to prosecute former minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) in the Formula-E car race case. The case concerns alleged irregular payments and procedural violations made while securing Hyderabad’s Season 10 slot in the race after the original promoter Ace Nxt Gen Pvt. Ltd. withdrew.

The Telangana High Court had in January refused to quash the FIR that claimed that ₹55 crore was released by the former Special Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department and the former chief engineer of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), with the approval of KTR, before an agreement was executed. Further payments were made under the agreement while the Model Code of Conduct was in operation, and the transaction involved foreign-currency transfers that breached RBI guidelines, resulting in penalties.

Rao later approached the Supreme Court with a special leave petition (SLP(Crl) 422/2025), but withdrew it after the Court expressed reservations about entertaining it. The Telangana ACB submitted its investigation report to the state government on September 9, 2025, after a nine-month probe. The Bureau reportedly found evidence linking the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to INR 40 crore in electoral bonds received from Formula E sponsors in exchange for a quid pro quo.