BRS leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao attended the Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry on Tuesday regarding the phone-tapping issue. He cooperated with the SIT officials at Jubilee Hills Police Station amidst tight security. Supporters from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gathered outside the station to show solidarity with Harish Rao.
Harish Rao, accompanied by his lawyer, responded to the notice issued under section 160 of Cr.P.C. The notice stated his familiarity with certain aspects of the case based on the investigation. This marks the first instance of a senior BRS leader being summoned by the SIT for questioning in the phone-tapping controversy involving political figures, businessmen, journalists, and judges during the BRS administration.
The former minister, after a meeting at BRS headquarters, voluntarily presented himself before the SIT without seeking an extension. Harish Rao emphasized his transparency by stating that he had no intentions of concealing any information. The phone-tapping scandal came to light in March 2024, leading to the registration of an FIR involving various legal sections at Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad.
Former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao stands as the primary accused in the case, with other officials and a television channel owner also implicated. The Supreme Court recently dismissed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government against Harish Rao in a separate phone-tapping case. The Telangana High Court had previously nullified the FIR against Harish Rao, citing insufficient evidence of his involvement in the alleged phone tapping.
