KTR Prosecution Approved in Formula E Case
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has granted approval for the prosecution of K.T. Rama Rao, the former state minister and current Working President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The sanction was given today, November 20, 2025, in connection with alleged financial irregularities related to the Hyderabad Formula E race event. This move clears a significant hurdle for the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to proceed with filing a formal chargesheet against the BRS leader.
The case focuses on the alleged misuse of approximately Rs 55 crore in public funds from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) for the second edition of the race, which was ultimately canceled. The ACB’s investigation claims that the funds were transferred to the UK-based Formula E Operations (FEO) Limited without following proper governmental procedures and while the Model Code of Conduct was in effect in late 2023.
Since Mr. Rama Rao was a cabinet minister at the time of the alleged offense, the ACB was legally required to seek sanction from the Governor’s office before proceeding with prosecution. The state government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Congress party, had forwarded the necessary file two months ago. The Governor’s decision marks a major escalation in the ongoing political and legal battle between the current Congress government and the opposition BRS party.
The ACB’s final report to the Governor had detailed the alleged irregularities and requested the green light to prosecute.With the Governor’s sanction in hand, the ACB is now also pursuing necessary approvals from the state Chief Secretary to prosecute two senior government officials—former HMDA chief engineer B.L.N. Reddy and former municipal administration special chief secretary Arvind Kumar—who were reportedly involved in the transactions.
BRS leaders have quickly condemned the development, labeling the investigation as an act of “political vendetta” and a clear case of harassment orchestrated by the Congress government.7 BRS Working President Harish Rao and other party MPs asserted that the Chief Minister is deliberately filing fabricated cases against Mr. Rama Rao in an attempt to demoralize the BRS cadre ahead of the upcoming local body polls, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. They maintained full faith in the judiciary to deliver justice.
Meanwhile, in a separate but significant development, the Supreme Court recently pulled up the Telangana Assembly Speaker for the delay in deciding the disqualification petitions filed against 10 BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress party. The apex court had issued a contempt notice, calling the delay the “grossest kind of contempt,” and set a firm, tight deadline for the Speaker to deliver a verdict on the matters.
In light of the court’s strict directive, the Assembly Speaker has decided to resume the hearings immediately to complete the oral arguments and deliver the final decisions in the coming days. This high-stakes defection issue, coupled with the Formula E case, is keeping the political temperature elevated in Telangana. Separately, the Congress government is moving forward with plans for local body elections, navigating legal complexities concerning the 50% reservation cap for Backward Classes (BCs), even as the party stands by its political commitment to allocate 42% of its tickets to the community.
The day’s events underscore the intense political rivalry dominating the state, with legal actions and election preparations running in parallel. The BRS party has urged its workers to intensify groundwork for the local body elections, viewing the current legal battles as a test of their resilience.
