Phone tapping case: Telangana High Court asks cops to respond to allegations

Justice K Sujana of the Telangana High Court on Friday took up on file the bail plea filed by Dugyala Praneeth Kumar, alias Praneeth Rao, the former Deputy Superintendent of Police and second accused in the high-profile phone tapping case.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice K Sujana of the Telangana High Court on Friday took up on file the bail plea filed by Dugyala Praneeth Kumar, alias Praneeth Rao, the former Deputy Superintendent of Police and second accused in the high-profile phone tapping case.

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In his petition, Praneeth Rao challenged the order of the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Hyderabad, which had earlier rejected his bail application. The former police officer’s counsel contends that the rejection of his bail is unjust, arguing that the Investigating Team failed to complete the investigation within the mandated timeframe under Section 173(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C). According to the petition, the police had filed the final report on June 10, 2024, without completing the investigation, and then re-submitted it on June 18, 2024, June 25, 2024, and July 11, 2024. This, the petition claims, was a deliberate attempt to prevent the petitioner from availing his right to bail under Section 167(2) of the Cr.P.C., which mandates release if a chargesheet is not filed within 90 days of remand.

Praneeth Rao, who was remanded to judicial custody on March 13, 2024, argued that by June 11, 2024, he had already completed 90 days in custody and should have been granted bail. The chargesheet, according to the petitioner, was not filed before the 90-day deadline, and it was only returned by the Magistrate on June 18, 2024—98 days after his remand—further strengthening his claim for bail. Praneeth Rao is one of the six accused in the phone tapping case, and all the accused, except T. Prabhakar Rao, a retired IPS officer and the first accused, have filed separate bail petitions in the High Court. Meanwhile, the High Court recently dismissed the criminal petition filed by accused Mekala Tirupathanna, who had sought bail in the same case. The dismissal order is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court. Other bail petitions filed by the remaining accused are still pending before the High Court. The judge issued notices to the Investigating Team, directing them to respond to the allegations in the Praneeth Rao case and adjourned the case for further proceedings.

On Friday, the court also reserved its orders in the bail petition filed by Radhakishan Rao, the former DCP of the Task Force and accused number five in the case. The court had heard arguments from both sides, with the Public Prosecutor, Palle Nageshwar Rao, representing the Investigating Team, concluding the arguments.