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The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim protection from coercive action to former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Telangana T Prabhakar Rao, an accused in the phone-tapping case. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Rao to appear before the investigation officer, and said his passport be made available to him. Rao, the key accused in the phone-tapping case, is suspected to be in the US. A Red Corner Notice was issued against him and his passport was revoked, a police official said earlier. The top court also directed Rao to give an undertaking that he would return to India within three days after the receipt of his passport. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra vehemently opposed the plea filed by Rao seeking anticipatory bail. The matter is posted for hearing on August 5. Rao has moved the top court challenging an order of the Telangana High Court which dismissed his pl
Mobile phones of eight Delhi Police have been seized and sent to the forensic department as part of an investigation into the alleged discovery of a cash pile from Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma's residential premises, police sources said on Thursday. Under this process, the mobile of the Station House Officer (SHO) of Tughlaq Road Police Station, investigation officer Havaldar Roopchand, Sub-Inspector Rajneesh, two personnel who arrived at the scene on mobile bike patrol, and three PCR personnel are being examined, the sources said. Authorities are now trying to determine whether any videos were recorded on these mobile phones when the officers arrived at the scene during the fire, one of the sources said. If any videos were taken, investigators will check whether they were tampered with in any way, the source added. Delhi Police has also recorded the statements of all these officers, sources said. On Wednesday, a team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deves
Rajasthan former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma has turned approver in a phone tapping case that happened during the political crisis in the state in 2020. In March 2021, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint from Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and he was questioned multiple times in connection with the case. Sharma last week moved an application in the court of chief judicial magistrate, Patiala house courts complex in Delhi, which was accepted by the court on Monday. After the development, Sharma said he was worried for his and his family's safety and he has been frequently getting threats. His advocate Rohan Vadhwa said, "After a confessional statement recorded before the magistrate and no objection by the crime branch, Sharma was given a pardon and now he has turned approver." He said no names were given in the ...
In a development that could land former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot in trouble, his ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma has held him responsible for phone tapping during the political crisis in the state in 2020. He said Gehlot should be interrogated in this regard. Delhi Police questioned Sharma on Wednesday in connection with the phone-tapping case lodged on a complaint by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. After the questioning, Sharma said he submitted a seven-page written statement, describing the sequence of events on July 16, 2020, when he got a pen drive containing call recordings from the then CM for circulating them to the media. He said Gehlot could tell how he got the call recordings and whether the call interceptions were done legally or not. Sharma's claim this time has marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three audio clips from social media and forwarded those to media houses. Sharma was called for questioning at Delhi Police's Crime Branch offic
A Delhi court will hear on December 7 the bail applications of former NSE chief Chitra Ramakrishna and ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey in a corruption case related to alleged illegal phone tapping and snooping on stock exchange employees. Special Judge Sunena Sharma adjourned the matter after the counsel appearing for the two accused prayed for adjournment on the ground that their petition challenging the rejection of their bail application in a connected money laundering case, being probed by the ED, is pending before the Delhi High Court which has reserved its orders. In view of request, let the bail applications of the accused be listed for arguments on December 7, the judge said in an order passed on November 30. Both the accused are currently in the judicial custody. The judge also directed the Tihar jail superintendent to produce Pandey before the court physically on the next date of hearing, as the accused himself will argue his bail application. According to th
A Delhi court on Wednesday sent former MD and CEO of National Stock Exchange Ravi Narain to two days' custodial interrogation by Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to alleged illegal phone tapping and snooping on stock exchange employees. Special Judge Sunena Sharma allowed ED's plea seeking Narain's custody till September 9 after the accused was produced before him by the probe agency. ED's Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta told the court that Narain was required to be confronted with other accused persons and evidence in the matter to unearth the larger conspiracy in the matter. The ED on Tuesday arrested him in the case. Narain was the MD and CEO of NSE from April 1994 to March 31, 2013. Thereafter, he was appointed as the vice-chairman in a non-executive category on the company's board from April 1, 2013, to June 1, 2017. The ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in July against former Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey