Hyderabad, Jan 20 (IANS) BRS leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao on Tuesday appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case.

Amid tight security, he reached Jubilee Hills Police Station at 11 a.m. to make himself available for questioning by the SIT officials. Several leaders and cadres of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) had gathered near the Police Station to express solidarity with Harish Rao.

His lawyer was not allowed to be present during the questioning.

The former minister was issued notice on Monday night under section 160 of Cr.P.C. The notice says that the investigation made in the case revealed that he is acquainted with a few facts and circumstances of the case.

This is the first time that a top BRS leader has been summoned by the SIT for questioning in the case relating to the alleged tapping of phones of political opponents, businessmen, journalists and even judges under the BRS rule.

Harish Rao reached the police station from BRS headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where he held a meeting with BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, other party leaders and legal experts.

The BRS MLA told media persons that, though he had the opportunity to seek more time to appear before the SIT, he decided to appear as he had nothing to hide.

The phone tapping case surfaced in March 2024. An FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act and Information Technology Act was registered at Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad.

A special team was allegedly constituted in the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) during the BRS regime to tap phones of several individuals.

Former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao is the main accused in the case. Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao and a television channel owner Sravan Kumar are the other accused.

In a separate case relating to phone tapping against Harish Rao, the Supreme Court on January 5 had dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government.

The apex court refused to interfere with the earlier orders of the Telangana High Court, which had quashed the FIR registered at the Panjagutta police station, holding that there was no material to establish Harish Rao’s involvement in the alleged phone tapping.

The case originated from a complaint filed in 2024 by Siddipet-based real estate businessman Chakradhar Goud, who alleged that his phone was tapped during the tenure of the previous BRS government at the instance of Harish Rao and former DCP Radha Kishan Rao.

–IANS

ms/dpb