Phone-Tapping Case: SC Orders Telangana Ex-Intelligence Chief to Share iCloud Password

The Supreme Court has directed former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao, accused in the state’s sensational phone-tapping case, to hand over his iCloud password to the investigating authorities in the presence of forensic experts. The court also extended his interim protection from arrest and instructed him to cooperate fully with the ongoing probe.

A bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan issued the order during a hearing on Tuesday. The judges also directed Rao to appear before the investigation officer as required.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Telangana government, alleged that Rao had not been cooperating with the investigation and had even formatted electronic devices, thereby destroying crucial digital evidence. “He was intercepting phones of several influential people — not just politicians,” Mehta told the bench. “After applying for anticipatory bail, he wiped the devices clean, and forensic experts confirmed they are now as good as new. He had also purchased 15 hard disks, which we believe were used for backups,” Mehta added, asserting that Rao was “hiding behind the court’s protective orders.”

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Rao’s counsel, senior advocate D.S. Naidu, strongly rejected the allegations, saying his client had appeared before the police 11 times and was questioned for nearly 80 hours. Naidu called the case politically motivated, claiming that during interrogation, outsiders, including MPs and MLAs, were allowed to be present — a serious breach of procedure.

Justice Nagarathna took note of the claim, remarking that “the investigation cannot turn into a spectacle. How can MPs and MLAs be part of the questioning process? They cannot act as spectators.” The Solicitor General, however, denied that any politicians were involved in the interrogation.

The court has posted the matter for further hearing on November 18, while maintaining Rao’s interim protection from coercive action.

The apex court had earlier, on May 29, granted Rao interim relief on the condition that he would return to India within three days of receiving his passport. Rao had approached the Supreme Court after the Telangana High Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail.

The case stems from an FIR in which four police officials, including a suspended DSP of the SIB, were arrested in March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence data and conducting illegal surveillance during the previous BRS government’s tenure. They were later released on bail.

Investigators allege that during the earlier administration, senior officers misused the SIB’s resources to spy on politicians, journalists, businessmen, judges, and builders, justifying their actions under the guise of monitoring Naxalite activity. Police also claim that many records were deliberately destroyed to erase evidence of the surveillance network.

The controversy has snowballed into a major political and legal battle in Telangana, raising serious concerns about privacy violations, political misuse of intelligence agencies, and the erosion of institutional accountability.