High drama unfolded at the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau office here on Monday, after BRS Working President KT Rama Rao who was summoned in connection with the investigation into the Formula E Race case, was denied the company of his lawyer, prompting him to submit his statement outside the ACB office.
KTR reached the ACB headquarters shortly after 10 am and was barred from entering the premises by the police, who objected to the presence of his lawyer.
The BRS leader spoke to officials seated in his car. He handed over his written statement intended for submission to an ACB official, outside the office and returned without appearing before ACB officials.
Asserting his fundamental right to legal representation KTR told the media that he insisted on his lawyer’s presence and claimed that the ACB was planning to raid his residence.
“Now they (officials) are saying you can’t take the lawyer inside. So, I have given my statement whatever I had to give inside the office. I have given my statement to a DSP rank officer of ACB. He has given me acknowledgement,” he said.
He also insisted that he would provide the information sought by the ACB in the presence of his lawyer.
“They have in the past created situations where statements which have not been made by our leaders were attributed to them,” KTR claimed.
He expressed concern over being denied the company of his lawyer during the inquiry by the ACB and said the government might manipulate his statements like in the case of what happened to former BRS MLA Patnam Narender Reddy.
Patnam was arrested in connection with an attack on government officials in Vikarabad district last November.
Calling Revanth Reddy a ‘third-rated criminal,’ he said he suspected that the ACB is acting as per the CM’s directives.
“As a law-abiding citizen, I will cooperate in the matter, subject to constitutional and legal rights as provided by law (of having a lawyer during questioning),” he said.
The ACB in its notice asking him to appear before it on Monday had asked KTR to provide information and documents pertaining to the case.
In the statement submitted to the ACB, KTR said since the matter has been reserved by HC for orders, the ACB may consider deferring the questioning till the judgement is pronounced in the case and proceed further in accordance with law subject to the orders of the High Court which heard the arguments thoroughly from both the government and his sides.
He said the ACB in its notice had not given any details of the information and documents sought from him pertaining to the case.
KTR said the ACB should give details of the documents sought so that he can take action at his end after giving a reasonable time.
KTR’s lawyer Soma Bharat Kumar told reporters that having an advocate as an assistant is an undeniable fundamental right.
Last week, the Telangana ACB issued a notice to KTR to appear before it on January 6 after he was named the prime accused in the FIR.
On December 19 the ACB registered a case against KTR over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct the race in 2023.
The case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC dealing with criminal misappropriation, criminal misconduct, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy that allegedly resulted in a loss of about Rs 55 crore to the exchequer.
Although the race was supposed to be held in February 2024 as well, it was cancelled after the Congress government came to power in December 2023.
KTR who was Municipal Administration Minister during the BRS admin, was summoned by the ED too for questioning on January 7 over irregularities in conducting the race.
