HC tells CBI to secure call data of min, CID officials

Vijayawada: The high court on Friday directed the CBI to secure and preserve call data records of two ruling party politicians and six officials of AP CID in Narasapuram MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju’s custodial torture case. The MP, who moved the high court seeking a CBI probe into his custodial torture, filed an interlocutory application seeking directions to secure call data records of irrigation minister Ambati Rambabu, YSRC MLC Lella Appi Reddy, then CID ADG P V Sunil Kumar, CID DIG Sunil Kumar Naik, CID DSP Vijay Paul, CID officials Uma Maheswara Rao, P Subbarao and Subrahmanyam.
He alleged in the petition that on the day he was subjected to custodial torture, Rambabu and Appi Reddy were in the vicinity and carrying out instructions from the chief minister to CID officials. To bring out all facts and circumstances and persons involved in the case, the call data records of Rambabu and Appi Reddy, and other CID officials is essential, the MP’s counsel argued, and sought directions to preserve the call data records, collect Google takeout and other technical details.
Deputy solicitor general N Harinath expressed doubt over the demand and said call data records are usually preserved for one year only, while the alleged incident took place on May 14, 2021. However, there has been a notification by the telecommunications department that service providers must preserve call data records of two years, he added.
Considering the arguments, Justice Ravi Cheemalapati directed the CBI to collect and preserve the call records data between May 14 and 16, 2021, if it is still available with the service providers, adding that the data woud be helpful if the case is handed over to the CBI. Without that data, there will be no use even if a CBI probe is ordered, the court said.