Police Files Charge Sheet in the Phone Tapping Case

Hyderabad: The Telangana police on Tuesday submitted their first chargesheet in the phone-tapping case to the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally. In view of the requirement to file the chargesheet within 90 days of the arrest of the accused, and as the bail applications of the accused were pending, police filed the chargesheet.

Police explained how former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, his colleagues Radha Kishan Rao, Bhujanga Rao, D. Praneeth Rao, Thirupatanna and TV channel owner Sravan Kumar were involved in the illegal tapping of phones of Opposition leaders and several others by violating the Telegraph Act, under the BRS government.

The police furnished the confession statements of the four accused who have been arrested; Prabhakar Rao and Sravan Kumar remain at large.

The chargesheet mentioned how Praneeth Rao got an accelerated promotion to DSP in 2023 and how he headed a team to tap phones with exclusive dedicated leased lines. The chargesheet said Praneeth Kumar used to copy intelligence information into his drives illegally, most likely with the collusion of unknown persons. He had dismantled the phone tapping system later.

Judge V. Eshwaraiah of the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally on Tuesday heard the arguments in the bail petitions filed by Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna. Their counsel said the police had arrested them on March 24 but had not filed any evidence against them.

Counsel submitted that the police were intentionally leaking information to the media against the petitioners, particularly during the time of their bail petitions filed by the accused. As the police failed to furnish the evidence, the petitioners could be released on bail, counsel argued.

Opposing bail, the public prosecutor said that the probe was at a crucial stage and two of the accused were absconding. If the petitioners were released on bail, the investigation may be affected.

The court reserved its orders for Wednesday.