Formula-E race case: Senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar grilled for over five hours by ACB

Senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar was grilled for over five hours by the officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) at its headquarters in Banjara Hills, here on Thursday (July 03, 2025). The official was summoned in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the Formula-E Race deal.

According to a source close to the investigation, the official arrived at 11.40 a.m. and left the premises around 5.15 p.m. There was a 30-minute lunch and two tea breaks in the six-hour period, the source said. The official was reportedly questioned about the allegations made by complainant Principal Secretary M. Dana Kishore, including his role in transferring the funds overseas.

This is the second time the official has appeared before the ACB. Earlier, the official was questioned on January 8.

The case surfaced after ACB registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K. T. Rama Rao on December 19. The then Special Chief Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department Aravind Kumar and then Chief Engineer of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) B.L.N. Reddy were also named in the FIR.

The complainant had alleged that the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) made payments exceeding ₹54.88 crore to Formula-E Operations Limited (FEO) and associated entities, bypassing standard financial protocols.

As per the FIR, ₹45.7 crore was transferred to FEO between September and October 2023, a period when FEO had already terminated its agreement with the Telangana government. The payment reportedly resulted in an additional tax burden of ₹8.06 crore, which was absorbed by the HMDA.

A tripartite agreement signed in October 2022 between the Telangana government, FEO, and event sponsor Ace Nxt Gen Pvt. Ltd. had limited the State government’s financial responsibility. However, the FIR alleges that disputes between FEO and Ace Nxt Gen Pvt. Ltd. led to the government assuming financial liability without regulatory approvals, causing losses to the exchequer.

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