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Summary:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Hyderabad is independently pursuing a money-laundering investigation into irregularities surrounding the Formula E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023. This is separate from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation, for which the Telangana Governor has granted prosecution approval. The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR filed by the ACB in December 2024, alleging irregularities in payments exceeding ₹54.88 crore. The ED will file its own prosecution plea under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at a time it considers appropriate, regardless of the ACB’s progress.

News Article:

ED Launches Independent Probe into Hyderabad Formula E Race Irregularities

Hyderabad, November 20, 2025 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Hyderabad has announced it will be filing its own prosecution plea in the ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities surrounding the Formula E race held in the city in February 2023. This action is independent of the prosecution approval recently granted by Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to prosecute former Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister K.T. Rama Rao.

According to an ED officer, the agency will review the ACB’s chargesheet once completed and will then independently seek prosecution approval under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) “at a time it considers appropriate.” This means the ED’s money-laundering probe, which operates on a separate legal track, will not be expedited or altered by the Governor’s approval for the ACB.

The ED’s investigation follows the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) by the ACB on December 19, 2024. The FIR, based on a complaint by then-Principal Secretary of MA&UD, M. Dana Kishore, alleges irregularities in payments exceeding ₹54.88 crore related to the Formula E event. The simultaneous investigations by the ACB and ED highlight the seriousness of the allegations and the potential for legal ramifications for those involved.

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