Phone tapping case SIT to grill ex-CM KCR in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Feb 1 (PTI) Former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is set to face questioning by the Telangana SIT at his residence here on Sunday afternoon in connection with the case related to alleged "phone tapping" during the previous BRS regime.
    Rao on Saturday told the SIT that he would appear for questioning on February 1, while accusing the investigating officer of "violating legal procedures" in serving the notice.
The BRS has called for peaceful protests across the state on Sunday against the "political harassment" of Rao.
The case pertains to allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving politicians, businessmen, journalists, members of the judiciary, and other prominent individuals during the previous BRS government.
Rao sent a six-page reply citing various Supreme Court and High Court judgments and other legal provisions in response to the notice issued by the IO on January 30.
He strongly objected to the IO’s refusal to examine him at his residence (farmhouse) at Yerravalli near Hyderabad.

He also criticised the IO for pasting the notice on the wall of his Nandi Nagar residence here.

Rao alleged that the notice pasted on the wall was not served as required by law and violated his dignity, guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

The BRS President said the IO, ACP of Jubilee Hills Division, is duty-bound to record his statement at his "place of residing" at Yerravalli (farmhouse) and no other location.

On the Special Investigation Team's observation that the examination venue is determined based on the ordinary place of residence in official records, he contended that the contemporary place of residence at which the person resides is the only relevant location.

Notwithstanding the legal position, Rao, being a former CM and current Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said he would be available for examination at 3 pm on February 1, as the IO insisted on recording his statement at the Hyderabad address.

The SIT on January 30 declined Rao’s request to be questioned at Yerravalli and directed him to appear at his residence on February 1. Rao has been engaged in legal arguments with investigators in recent days over the place and date of his examination in the "phone-tapping" case.

On January 29, Rao requested that his examination be conducted at his farmhouse in Yerravalli.

The SIT had sought to examine him on January 30, but he requested a fresh date due to preoccupations with the upcoming municipal election nominations.

Earlier, Rama Rao and his cousins, T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar, appeared before the SIT on January 23, January 20, and January 27, respectively, in connection with the case.
Several other BRS leaders were also recently summoned and questioned.

Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, has already been questioned by the SIT.

A suspended DSP of the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence information from electronic devices and for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)