Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief Prabhakar Rao to cooperate with the ongoing phone tapping investigation. The bench said Rao must appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) if served with a notice.
The directive came during a hearing on Rao’s bail plea in the high-profile surveillance case. The Telangana government, presenting a status report, alleged that Rao had not fully cooperated. Representing the state, senior counsel Siddharth Luthra claimed that Rao tampered with official electronic devices. He said laptops and phones linked to the case had been formatted, leaving no usable data.
Prabhakar Rao phone tapping case hearing adjourned to September 22
In response, Rao’s counsel argued that the former SIB chief had already appeared before investigators ten times and fully cooperated with the inquiry.
After reviewing arguments from both sides, Justice B.V. Nagarathna directed Rao to assist investigators whenever summoned. The bench gave investigators four more weeks to continue the probe and set the next hearing for September 22. It also extended interim protection for Rao until that date.
