Hyderabad: The investigation into Telangana’s phone tapping case has widened, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) recording statements from former Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari and GAD Principal Secretary (Political) Raghunandan Rao. Both officials were questioned on the procedures followed for obtaining telecom approvals under the Indian Telegraph Act.
Sources said the SIT examined how the state’s intelligence unit, under Prabhakar Rao, submitted a list of 618 mobile numbers for surveillance during the recent assembly elections. Under Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, such interceptions require authorisation from either the State Home Secretary or the Director General of Police, and clearance from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
According to investigators, Shanti Kumari, who was Chief Secretary at the time, forwarded the list to the DoT for necessary permissions. The SIT is probing whether due process was followed and whether the telecom clearances were legally obtained.
The SIT had earlier issued notices to the then Home Secretary and current DGP Jitender, along with Intelligence Chief Anil Kumar. With fresh statements now recorded from Shanti Kumari and Raghunandan Rao, officials say the case has entered a crucial phase.
Analysts believe these depositions could prove significant as the probe enters deeper institutional layers.
