Telangana High Court Grants Bail to Two Former Police Officers in Phone Tapping Scandal
"Telangana High Court grants bail to ex-police officers Bhujanga Rao & P. Radha Kishan Rao in the phone tapping case. Read about the case details, key accused, and legal developments."
Hyderabad: In a significant legal development, the Telangana High Court has granted bail to two former police officers involved in the controversial phone tapping case that has been making headlines.
The individuals, former Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bhujanga Rao and former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P. Radha Kishan Rao were granted conditional release after the court’s ruling on Thursday.
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Bail Conditions for Former Officers in Phone Tapping Case
The Telangana High Court’s decision to grant bail comes with several conditions. Both Bhujanga Rao and P. Radha Kishan Rao are required to provide two sureties, each valued at Rs 1 lakh, and to surrender their passports.
Furthermore, the former police officers have been instructed to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation into the phone tapping scandal.
This development comes shortly after the Supreme Court granted bail to another accused, former Additional SP M. Thirupathanna, in the same case. The Supreme Court, while allowing Thirupathanna’s bail plea, emphasized that the trial court could impose stringent conditions for his release.
Background of the Phone Tapping Scandal
The phone tapping case first surfaced in March 2024, when a complaint was filed by D. Ramesh, the Additional SP of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), accusing his subordinate, Deputy Superintendent of Police Praneeth Rao, of illegal phone tapping.
Following this, Rao’s arrest triggered further investigations that revealed a large-scale surveillance operation targeting various individuals, including political opponents, businessmen, journalists, and even judges.
As per the allegations, the former chief of SIB, T. Prabhakar Rao, allegedly created a specialized team within the bureau consisting of trusted personnel like Praneeth Rao.
This group was allegedly responsible for conducting covert surveillance on a wide range of individuals, including political dissidents, media figures, and prominent business leaders.
Key Accused in the Phone Tapping Case
The case has seen the arrest of several high-ranking police officials. Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and Bhujanga Rao, along with former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, were all detained for their alleged involvement in the scandal.
The investigation also implicated T. Prabhakar Rao, the former SIB chief, as the main architect of the illegal surveillance operation. Sravan Kumar, the managing director of a private news channel, is also named in the case.
However, two key suspects in the case, Prabhakar Rao and Sravan Kumar, are currently outside India. Both individuals are believed to be in the United States, and Telangana Police have initiated the process to extradite them.
The Director General of Police (DGP) Dr. Jitender confirmed last month that the request for Red Corner notices had been submitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an effort to bring the absconding suspects back to India.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
In addition to the arrests of the police officers, the Telangana Police have also questioned several individuals connected to the case. Notably, former BRS MLAs Jaipal Yadav and Chirumarthi Lingaiah were interrogated in connection with the phone tapping activities in November 2024.
Despite these legal proceedings, the case has sparked a political storm in the state, with critics alleging that the illegal phone tapping was part of a larger strategy by the ruling BRS government to monitor and intimidate opposition figures, journalists, and others who were seen as a threat to the party’s hold on power.
