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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
SC grants interim protection to former SIB chief in phone tapping case
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim protection from coercive action to former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Telangana T Prabhakar Rao, an accused in the phone-tapping case. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Rao to appear before the investigation officer, and said his passport be made available to him. Rao, the key accused in the phone-tapping case, is suspected to be in the US. A Red Corner Notice was issued against him and his passport was revoked, a police official said earlier. The top court also directed Rao to give an undertaking that he would return to India within three days after the receipt of his passport. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra vehemently opposed the plea filed by Rao seeking anticipatory bail. The matter is posted for hearing on August 5. Rao has moved the top court challenging an order of the Telangana High Court which dismissed his plea seeking anticipatory bail. On May 22, a Hyderabad court has issued a proclamation order against Rao in the phone-tapping case. According to the order, Rao may be declared a "proclaimed offender" if he does not appear before the court by June 20. If a person is declared a proclaimed offender, the court can order attachment of properties of the accused. A suspended DSP of SIB was among four police officials who were arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024, for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail. The accused are part of the alleged conspiracy in which they "misused" the resources of SIB for political purposes by putting citizens from different walks of life under surveillance, police had said. Those named as accused in the case along with others had allegedly developed profiles of several persons unauthorisedly and were accused of monitoring them clandestinely and illegally in SIB and using them in a partisan manner to favour a political party at the behest of some persons and also conspiracy in destroying the records to cause disappearance of evidence of their crimes, police earlier said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Phone-tapping case: SC grants interim protection from coercive action to former SIB chief
New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim protection from coercive action to former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau in Telangana T Prabhakar Rao, an accused in the phone-tapping case. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Rao to appear before the investigation officer, and said his passport be made available to him. Rao, the key accused in the phone-tapping case, is suspected to be in the US. A Red Corner Notice was issued against him and his passport was revoked, a police official said earlier. The top court also directed Rao to give an undertaking that he would return to India within three days after the receipt of his passport. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra vehemently opposed the plea filed by Rao seeking anticipatory bail. The matter is posted for hearing on August 5. Rao has moved the top court challenging an order of the Telangana High Court which dismissed his plea seeking anticipatory bail. On May 22, a Hyderabad court has issued a proclamation order against Rao in the phone-tapping case. According to the order, Rao may be declared a "proclaimed offender" if he does not appear before the court by June 20. If a person is declared a proclaimed offender, the court can order attachment of properties of the accused. A suspended DSP of SIB was among four police officials who were arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024, for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail. The accused are part of the alleged conspiracy in which they "misused" the resources of SIB for political purposes by putting citizens from different walks of life under surveillance, police had said. Those named as accused in the case along with others had allegedly developed profiles of several persons unauthorisedly and were accused of monitoring them clandestinely and illegally in SIB and using them in a partisan manner to favour a political party at the behest of some persons and also conspiracy in destroying the records to cause disappearance of evidence of their crimes, police earlier said.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Hyderabad police serve proclamation order at former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao's home, announce notice in locality
Hyderabad: A day after the Nampally court directed Hyderabad police to issue proclamation order against former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief Prabhakar Rao in the phone tapping case, officials on Thursday pasted the notice at his residence in a gated community near Taramati Baradari in Ibrahim Bagh and made a public announcement at the community's clubhouse. The order, part of the court-mandated process, also involved informing neighbours and posting the notice in a visible area of the house. The court had instructed Prabhakar Rao to appear before it within 30 days — by June 20 — after he failed to comply with a previously issued Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW). During arguments in the Nampally court, police invoked Sections 82 and 83 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), leading the court to admit their petition. Under Section 82(2), such proclamations must be read out publicly, posted at the accused's residence and courthouse, and may be published in a local newspaper. A police team carried out these procedures on Thursday. If Prabhakar Rao does not respond within the stipulated period, police will seek to attach his properties under Section 83, which deals with the seizure of assets belonging to absconding individuals. The former intelligence chief is a key accused in the alleged illegal phone tapping scandal that took place during the BRS regime. He allegedly ordered his subordinates to monitor opposition leaders, journalists, and businessmen using unauthorised surveillance techniques.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Nampally court issues proclamation against ex-SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao in phone-tapping case
HYDERABAD: The Nampally criminal court has issued proclamation orders against former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and retired IPS officer T Prabhakar Rao, one of the main accused in the phone-tapping case, for evading proceedings for over a year. The court passed the order after being satisfied that Prabhakar Rao was deliberately avoiding the legal process. If he fails to appear within a month, the court may order the attachment of his assets. The prosecution told the court that the case was registered at Panjagutta police station in March 2024, and that Prabhakar Rao has since remained in the US, refusing to cooperate with the investigation. A Hyderabad police official said the order mandates Prabhakar's appearance within a specified timeframe. The court also directed the police to serve the proclamation order. The proclamation was issued under Sections 82 and 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allow courts to declare an accused a proclaimed offender and attach their property if they are found evading proceedings. Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Prabhakar. His anticipatory bail petition was rejected by the Telangana High Court a few days ago.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Process begins to declare former SIB chief Prabhakar proclaimed offender
Hyderabad: The Nampally court on Wednesday directed Panjagutta police to serve a proclamation order on fugitive Prabhakar Rao , former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and an accused in the alleged phone tapping case . He will be declared a proclaimed offender if he does not appear before the court by June 20. The court gave the direction while dealing with a petition moved by the Hyderabad police to declare Prabhakar Rao a proclaimed offender. With the court order, the process of declaring him a proclaimed offender started. If Prabhakar Rao fails to return to India and appear before the court, it will decide after a month about declaring him a proclaimed offender. During the hearing, the court was informed by police that although the court earlier issued a Non Bailable Warrant (NBW) against him, he failed to appear before the court. Once a person is declared a proclaimed offender, he can be arrested by police from any state of India. Apart from that, his properties can be attached. Ever since the phone tapping case was registered, Prabhakar Rao is holed up in the USA and did not return to India. He was made the prime accused in the case. Recently, although he moved a petition in high court expressing his interest to return to India, provided he is granted protection from arrest, the court did not grant him relief.
