Telangana: Court denies bail plea of phone tapping case accused
The Metropolitan Criminal Court at Nampally dismissed the bail petitions of three suspended police officers in the phone-tapping case.
The court rejected the bail petitions filed by D. Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, agreeing with the argument by the prosecution that bail to the accused at this stage may impact the investigations.
The police voiced apprehension that if granted bail, the accused may influence the witnesses and tamper with evidence.
Meanwhile, Radha Kishan Rao, the fourth accused in the case, has also filed a bail petition. The court directed the police to file a counter to the petition and adjourned the hearing to April 29.
Radha Kishan Rao had served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Task Force.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner K. Sreenivas Reddy on Friday said that the probe into the phone tapping case was still underway.
He, however, denied issuing a red corner notice to former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and retired IPS officer T. Prabhakar Rao, the prime suspect in the case, criticising unconfirmed reports in a section of the media about this.
The police chief said such speculation will hinder the case and make the investigative process difficult.
“We know what to do and be rest assured we are doing our job,” he told media persons.
Replying to a query, the Police Commissioner said a red corner will be issued but some media wrote that it was already issued.
“I don’t know what pleasure you get. You are only putting spokes in the investigation. Maybe you are alerting them. Sorry for that,” he said.
Sreenivasa Reddy said the police were investigating the case to the best of their ability. Contending that the phone tapping was done to disturb personal lives, he said: “It is a crime not only against an individual but also the society on the whole. Intruding into private lives is a heinous crime.”
He said that four police officers whose role was found in the case were arrested and sent to judicial custody, while some police officers were taken as witnesses and their statements recorded.
He stated that the investigation is going on transparently and those involved will not be spared.