A standoff unfolded on Monday morning between Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) working president and former minister K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) and the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) outside the agency’s office at Banjara Hills.
KTR accused the ACB of denying his lawyer the right to accompany him while his statement was being recorded. Nearly 45 minutes after arriving at the ACB office, KTR and his legal team remained seated in their vehicle outside. Eventually, KTR left without providing his statement after ACB officials accepted a response submitted by his lawyer to the notice summoning him.
KTR called Telangana CM “A Third Rate Criminal”
KTR also expressed concerns over the possibility of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team visiting his residence, suspecting they might plant evidence. “I am a law-abiding citizen and will appear before the ACB, but I have the right to have my lawyer present with me,” he added. KTR also criticized Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, alleging that the police were acting on instructions from a “third-rate criminal.”
Formula E- Race Case and KTR’s Standoff
ACB had called KTR to record his statement in connection with the Formula E race case, which involves an alleged transfer of Rs 45 crore to the foreign company Formula-E Organisers (FOE) in February 2023. KTR said that, “I have a right to have a lawyer with me when recording my statement. I do not trust the ACB or the police. They misled the court in the Lagacharla case involving former BRS MLA P Narender Reddy. They claimed he had given a confession, but the next day, he clarified in front of a judge that he never made such a statement. I do not want to face the same situation.”
The former minister further questioned the ACB’s decision to summon him despite the Telangana High Court granting him interim relief from arrest. “The High Court has reserved its orders, yet the ACB has still asked me to appear. I do not understand this. I have full faith in the judiciary, and I am ready to cooperate with the ACB, but only if my lawyer is allowed to be present,” KTR said.
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