HC permits KTR’s lawyer to watch KTR’s interrogation at ACB office in Formula-E Race corruption case

A day after rejecting BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao’s plea to quash ACB’s corruption case, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday permitted his advocate to watch interrogation of KTR on Thursday by investigators through a glass window of the library in ACB building here at Banjara Hills.

Justice K. Lakshman of the HC, passing interim order in the writ petition filed by KTR by way of lunch motion, made it clear that his advocate can only watch the questioning but was not permitted to hear it. The judge also declined KTR’s counsel Prabhakar Rao’s request for audio and video recording of the former Minister’s interrogation in the Formula-E Race funds misappropriation case.

When the counsel recalled the HC orders directing CBI officials to record interrogation of YSRCP leader Avinash Reddy in Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case, the judge said facts and circumstances of the cases were different. In that case, Mr. Avinash Reddy complained that CBI officials were not totally recording the interrogation and resorted to deletion of some parts of his statement, the judge said.

Additional Advocate General T. Rajanikanth Reddy, opposing KTR’s request to permit his advocate to be present while ACB officials question him, said the law did not have any such provision. The judge categorically said there was no question of permitting the lawyer to sit with the petitioner during questioning by the investigators.

“Anyway he is former Minister…sitting MLA…they are not going to use third degree methods….right…that may their apprehension…I don’t know,” the judge observed. The judge asked the AAG to ascertain if the ACB office, where KTR would be interrogated, can facilitate the petitioner’s advocate to be present to watch the interrogation.

The AAG sought time to secure instructions and returned to bench an hour later stating that the lawyer can sit in the library in ACB building and can see the interrogation. When KTR’s counsel insisted for audio video recording of the questioning, the judge said he cannot grant more than one relief in the writ petition.

However, he told the counsel to come back to the court if the petitioner had any grievance about the interrogation assuring that he would consider the same and the writ petition was not being disposed of. KTR’s counsel informed the bench that advocate J. Ramchander Rao, who served as Additional Advocate General during BRS rule, would appear for KTR in ACB office.