Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao, who appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the phone tapping case on Friday, January 23, has been instructed not to contact witnesses.
The notice to KTR was issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Police P Venkatagiri, who is the investigating officer.
KTR may be summoned again
After appearing before the SIT on Friday, KTR has been informed that he may be summoned again if required.
In a press release, the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, VC Sajjanar mentioned, “It has been noticed that misleading and baseless information is being circulated by certain sections of the media and individuals, claiming that phone interception was done on security grounds and that no illegality was involved. The Investigating Agency is not concerned with such false narratives. The investigation is being conducted strictly in accordance with law, fairly and professionally.”
He also instructed the public not to propagate or circulate unverified or misleading information and to rely only on facts placed on record through lawful and official channels.
Phone-tapping case
On Friday, the BRS leader reached the office of Jubilee Hills Police Station amid tight security at 11 am.
Before reaching the police station, the BRS leader reached the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where a large number of party cadres had gathered to show their support. There was mild tension outside Telangana Bhavan as some BRS cadres had an argument with police personnel.
Earlier, the notice served to him mentioned that it was issued under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It states that during the probe, it came to the notice of the Investigating Officer that KTR is acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case, and, hence, his personal examination is necessary for the investigation.
Senior BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao and some other party leaders accompanied KTR to Jubilee Hills Police Station. Police had made tight security arrangements around the police station. Barricades were erected to stop BRS cadres from coming closer to the premises.
The notice to KTR was issued two days after Harish Rao was questioned by the SIT.
The case relates to the alleged tapping of phones of political opponents, businessmen, journalists and even judges under the previous BRS government’s tenure.
The SIT earlier questioned BRS MLC K. Naveen Rao and former MLAs Jaipal Yadav and C Lingaiah in the same case.
It also examined Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay and BJP MPs Eatala Rajender and M. Raghunandan Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s aide Kondal Reddy as witnesses/victims.
The phone tapping case surfaced in March 2024. An FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act and Information Technology Act was registered at Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad.
A special team was allegedly constituted in the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) during the BRS regime to tap phones of several individuals.
Former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao is the main accused in the case. Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao and a television channel owner Sravan Kumar are the other accused.
With inputs from agencies
