Justice J. Sreenivas Rao of Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed a criminal petition filed by retired IPS officer T. Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in telephone tapping case, seeking protection from arrest.
The ‘absconding officer’, whose passport had been revoked by the Union government recently, is presently hiding in United States of America. While the INTERPOL had issued a red-corner notice seeking detention of Mr. Rao, the latter knocked the doors of the HC seeking a direction not to arrest him if he returned to India. He stated in the petition that he would co-operate with the investigators on his return to India but wanted an anticipatory bail.
Supreme Court senior counsel Sidharth Luthra and Public Prosecutor (Home) Palle Nageshwar Rao presented arguments before the bench opposing the anticipatory bail plea. Senior counsel T. Niranjan Reddy presented contentions seeking protection from arrest to Mr. Rao in the telephone tapping case.
Prabhakar Rao, who held key posts like Intelligence chief during the stint of BRS government, was serving as Special Intelligence Branch head when the Congress party came to power in 2023 December Telangana Assembly elections. Mr. Rao, who got superannuated by then, was on extension of service and posted as SIB chief then.
After the Congress government came to power, a criminal case was registered by the Punjagutta police of Hyderabad following a complaint lodged by an to track the movements of some persons at the behest of the politicians in power during BRS rule. Eventually, four police officers were arrested one after the other.
Based on their confession, Mr. Rao was made the prime accused in what came to be known eventually as telephone tapping case. A media person Shravan Kumar Rao, who was accused of aiding and abetting Prabhakar Rao, was made the sixth accused.
However, both left the country by then. While Shravan Kumar Rao returned to India having secured an order from Supreme Court not to be arrested, Prabhakar Rao filed the anticipatory bail plea in the HC.
One of his grounds was that, he should also be given protection from arrest akin to the order issued by the apex court, the State government counsel vehemently opposed the same contending that interrogation of Prabhakar Rao was crucial to ascertain how the telephones were tapped. Referring to Prabhakar Rao’s contention that he was suffering from cancer and had health issues, Mr. Sidharth Luthra sought to know why the officer accepted extension of service when he was unwell.
What prevented him from appearing before the investigating officer of the telephone tapping case when he continued as officer even after retirement from service, the counsel asked the bench.
Published – May 03, 2025 04:43 am IST