Phone Tapping Case: Supreme Court Extends Interim Relief For Former Telangana Intelligence chief T. Prabhakar Rao
Supreme Court extended interim protection to ex-Intelligence chief T. Prabhakar Rao amid allegations of data tampering and political interference in Telangana phone tapping probe
SC extends protection to ex-Intelligence chief T. Prabhakar Rao
The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to former Telangana Intelligence chief T. Prabhakar Rao; prime accused in the high-profile phone tapping case, while taking strong exception to reports that politicians were allegedly present during his interrogation.
The Bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan was hearing Rao’s plea for anticipatory bail and an intervention application (IA) filed by the State seeking to vacate his interim protection.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Telangana, accused Rao of destroying electronic evidence and failing to cooperate with the investigation. “I will present some facts that will shock the court,” the SG said.
Rao’s counsel, Senior Advocate D.S. Naidu, denied the allegations, claiming full cooperation. “They have taken all my devices except my personal iCloud account. I forgot the password and have agreed to reset it in the presence of forensic experts,” he said, adding that the system formatting was “a departmental protocol” due to sensitive data.
When Naidu alleged that MPs and MLAs were present during his interrogation, Justice Nagarathna reacted sharply: “It cannot be a Tamasha! How can MPs and MLAs come and interrogate? They cannot be spectators or part of the investigation.”
SG Mehta agreed, assuring the Bench he would file an affidavit on the issue.
Naidu maintained that all his interrogations were video-recorded and denied deleting or tampering with any data. “I am cooperating. Any expert can verify my iCloud logs,” he said.
The court, while noting the submissions, directed that Rao shall reset and activate his iCloud password in the presence of forensic experts whenever summoned, and extended his interim protection until the next hearing i.e. November 18.
On October 8, Solicitor General Mehta had submitted that a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report had been received, which contained vital material retrieved from a digital forensic platform. “Key evidence has now been found on the forensic platform,” Mehta told the Court, emphasizing the seriousness of the findings. The State government had earlier alleged that under the previous administration, large-scale surveillance and interception of private communications were carried out unlawfully using state machinery.
Previously, on September 22, the Court had asked former Telangana intelligence officer Prabhakar Rao to cooperate in the trial pertaining to the case registered over illegal phone tapping conducted during the tenure of the Bharat Rashtra Smithi (BRS) Government. The Bench was told that Rao is not cooperating with trial.
Earlier this year, Supreme Court had granted interim protection from coercive action to Rao, former chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau and also directed him to appear before the investigation officer.
Rao had approached the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Telangana High Court, which dismissed his plea seeking anticipatory bail.
In June last year, Telangana High Court had initiated suo motu proceedings into allegations of illegal phone tapping, after a report was published in the Deccan Chronicle, which exposed that the phone tapping not only targeted rival politicians but also included notable High Court judges, such as Justice Sarath Khaja. The high court, expressing grave concern over the breach of privacy, had said “It's a matter of great concern. As an institution, we are all troubled by it. This is not just a case of simple phone tapping; it infringes upon the Right to Privacy and is a matter of National Security.”
The controversy surfaced in December 2023, following the Congress party's victory in the Rajya Sabha elections and their subsequent rise to power in Telangana. The primary accused, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Chief T Prabhakar Rao, is alleged to have orchestrated the privacy breaches. According to confession statements from co-accused Bhujanga Rao and other officers, Rao monitored and tapped the phones of High Court judges.
In March last year, former SIB official Dugyala Praneeth Rao was also arrested on charges of illegal surveillance, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence, among other serious offenses. The arrest followed a complaint filed by D Ramesh, Additional Superintendent of Police, SIB, accusing Praneeth Rao of unlawfully accessing protected computer systems, tampering with digital documents, and misusing public resources. Media reports indicated that Praneeth Rao developed profiles of "unknown persons" for monitoring purposes and tapped the phones of opposition leaders and journalists during the BRS government's tenure.
The operation was allegedly orchestrated under the instructions of then SIB Chief T Prabhakar Rao and monitored by officers including Bhujanga Rao, Mekala Tirupathanna, D Praneeth Rao, and former Task Force DCP G Radha Krishan Rao.
Case Title: T. Prabhakar Rao v. The State of Telangana
Hearing Date: October 14, 2025
Bench: Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice R. Mahadevan