Phone tapping: SIB ex-chief seeks bail from court

Hyderabad: Former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the illegal phone tapping case, has approached the Telangana high court seeking anticipatory bail. He urged the court to grant relief so that he could return to India and cooperate with the police investigation.Prabhakar Rao has been accused of fleeing the country in March 2024, immediately after an FIR was registered in connection with the case. He is listed as accused No. 1 in what has become a high-profile and politically sensitive case involving alleged surveillance and illegal tapping of phones.No role as ‘kingpin'Appearing for Prabhakar Rao, senior advocate T Niranjan Reddy argued that the former intelligence officer's return should be facilitated rather than obstructed. He pointed out that efforts to extradite him through official channels would be both time-consuming and expensive for the state."Prabhakar Rao was not acting independently; he operated under an additional DGP. Phone tapping decisions were approved by a review committee headed by the chief secretary. Yet, none of those involved in decision-making have been named as accused," Niranjan Reddy told the court."He was made an accused not because he was the mastermind, but because police wanted someone to be held accountable," he added.Niranjan Reddy also informed the court that Prabhakar Rao is a 65-year-old cancer patient, and highlighted that another accused in the case, Sravan, had previously been allowed by the Supreme Court to appear before police without being arrested. The same consideration, he argued, should apply to Prabhakar Rao.Pattern of evasionOpposing the bail plea, senior counsel Sidhartha Luthra, appearing for the state, expressed scepticism about Prabhakar Rao's medical claims, stating that there was no evidence of him seeking cancer treatment abroad until after the FIR was filed."He was actively touring and conducting surveillance operations without any sign of health issues. Even after fleeing to the US a year ago, he made promises to return, but never kept his word," Luthra said.He cautioned the court against considering Prabhakar Rao's past service record as a mitigating factor, comparing it to the case of Major General Shabeg Singh, who was court-martialled and later killed in Operation Blue Star, despite his distinguished military service."This case is about systematic invasion of privacy and harassment of innocent citizens. His role cannot be overlooked merely because he once served the state," Luthra emphasised.After hearing both sides, the high court adjourned the matter to April 29 for further arguments.