Hyderabad, May 14 The ACB court on Thursday issued summons to BRS working president K T Rama Rao and four others accused in the Formula E race case to appear before it on July 31.
The summons were issued after the court took cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against them.
The ACB had earlier filed a charge sheet in court in the Formula E race case in which Rao is the prime accused.
Apart from Rao, the charge sheet was filed against senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar, former Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) chief engineer B L N Reddy and two others.
They were accused of "misappropriation" of entrusted funds of HMDA as a part of criminal conspiracy.
The Formula-E race was held in Hyderabad in February 2023. Although the second edition of the race was initially planned for 2024, it was cancelled after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023.
The probe against Rao pertains to alleged irregularities in payments amounting to about Rs 55 crore, most of which were in foreign currency, in "violation of laid-down procedures" during the previous BRS regime, for the event planned for 2024.
In December 2024, the ACB registered a case against Rao, Kumar, and Reddy.
The FIR was filed under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC, dealing with criminal misappropriation, criminal misconduct, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy.
Rao had earlier downplayed the Formula E race case and said he is ready for a lie-detector test.
He had said it was his decision to transfer the money on behalf of the government to the race organisers. His intention was to see the race take place in Hyderabad to promote the prestige of the city, he said.
The money sent by the government lies with the organisers and there is no corruption in the matter, Rao claimed.
