Hyderabad: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), currently investigating alleged irregularities in the Formula E Race, has intensified its inquiry. Officials have instructed BRS working president K T Rama Rao to hand over his mobile phones and laptops to the agency by Wednesday.

The BRS working president had previously undergone questioning by ACB officials just a day before, during which he was grilled for over seven hours. The interrogation primarily focused on payments made to the private company without the government’s explicit consent. Now, on Tuesday, officials have formally requested the BRS leader’s mobile phones and laptops. K T Rama Rao, who had publicly stated his willingness to attend the inquiry even if summoned a hundred times, informed officials that he would make a decision regarding the handover of his devices only after consulting legal experts. Meanwhile, the BRS party’s social media convener, Y Satish Reddy, expressed surprise at the ACB’s request for KTR’s phones as part of the Formula E investigation.

He suggested that this action appears to be taken under directives from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Reddy asserted that it is clear ACB officials requested KTR’s phone because Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was overseeing the situation from the command control room and issued the order. However, he questioned why KTR should hand over his personal phones, arguing that the Formula E Race case was not a personal matter but a government transaction.

He emphasised that the Formula E Race was organised with government permission and as per a cabinet decision. Satish Reddy further stated that the money paid to the Formula E Race Company was transferred from the government treasury through official bank channels.

All matters related to the organisation of the race, he added, were conducted legally in accordance with government decisions and agreements. He then questioned why the agencies would need KTR’s personal phone. According to Article 21 and the IT Act 2000, he claimed, there was no legal basis to request a personal phone number without a criminal case or a specific court order. By this action, he argued, the Revanth Reddy government was effectively admitting that the Formula E case was merely politically motivated and intended to politically harass KTR. He pointed out that all transaction documents were held by the government, and the Formula E Race had been a success, attracting investments and benefiting the state.