Phone tapping: Telangana High Court reserves verdict on Harish Rao’s quash petition

The case stems from a second FIR filed by Punjagutta police based on a complaint from real estate businessman and Congress leader Chakradhar Goud, alleging illegal phone tapping

Hyderabad: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Thursday heard the State government’s plea to lift the stay imposed on the investigation into the phone tapping case involving former Minister T Harish Rao.

The government argued that Rao, who is accused number one, is attempting to evade the case and had misused government systems for personal benefit during his tenure as a Minister.

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The case stems from a second FIR filed by Punjagutta police based on a complaint from real estate businessman and Congress leader Chakradhar Goud, alleging illegal phone tapping.

Harish Rao had filed a quash petition before the High Court seeking dismissal of the FIR. The matter was taken up by a Bench led by Justice K Lakshman, with heated arguments from both sides.

Appearing for the State, Public Prosecutor Palle Nageswara Rao and Senior Counsel Siddharth Luthra contended that the High Court’s stay had hindered the lower court proceedings, leading to the grant of bail to the three other accused in the case without considering the custody petitions.

They argued that the stay was obtained without disclosing key facts, particularly about the arrests made in connection with the case.

Countering their submissions, Senior Counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing Harish Rao, alleged that the government’s unusual interest in the case indicated a larger political conspiracy.

“Why is the government more concerned than Chakradhar Goud himself? Why is it protecting a person with 11 criminal cases? The government has conveniently ignored the fact that he joined the Congress party,” he argued.

Naidu further argued that possessing Call Detail Records (CDRs) does not prove phone tapping and that the case was fabricated to implicate Harish Rao. He further argued that the government had deliberately delayed proceedings to arrest more individuals and extract confessions against Rao.

Amidst a heated exchange, the Judge intervened, instructing senior advocates to focus solely on legal arguments. After hearing both sides, the court reserved its verdict on Harish Rao’s quash petition.

Meanwhile, the quash petition of Radha Kishan Rao, who is accused number two in the same case, was adjourned to Friday, while the anticipatory bail plea in the matter was adjourned to March 6.