Phone Tapping Case: Supreme Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Ex-Telangana Intelligence Chief T Prabhakar Rao
The Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to former Telangana Intelligence Chief T. Prabhakar Rao after the State informed the Court that the investigation in the alleged phone tapping case was almost complete
Former Telangana Intelligence Chief T. Prabhakar Rao, who was accused in the alleged phone tapping case linked to the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government, was granted anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to former Telangana Intelligence Chief T. Prabhakar Rao, who is accused in the alleged phone tapping case involving interception of phones of politicians and even High Court judges during the tenure of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
The bench of Justice B. V. Nagarathna and Justice R. Mahadevan granted the relief after taking note of the State’s submission that the investigation in the matter is almost complete.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the State, submitted that the interim protection from arrest earlier granted to Rao could be made absolute. He, however, requested that the question of law regarding the maintainability of the plea be kept open.
The Court also noted Rao’s submission that he had complied with all directions of the Court and had cooperated with the investigation.
Recording the submissions, the bench granted anticipatory bail to Rao while leaving the legal question on maintainability open.
Notably, on January 10, the Court had ordered that the interim protection granted to former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao, accused in the phone tapping case, shall continue till March 10. The bench had told the state today, "We granted custodial interrogation, now the purpose is served. Now what more remains...you just want to keep him in jail...".
In December 2025, the Supreme Court had extended the police custody of Rao till December 25 in connection with the alleged phone-tapping case, while directing that no coercive action be taken against him until the next date of hearing. The Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan had further ordered that Rao be released from custody after interrogation on December 26.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, along with Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra appearing for the Telangana government, had submitted that although Rao had surrendered pursuant to the Court’s earlier directions, he was not cooperating with the ongoing investigation. SG Mehta alleged that Rao had carried out illegal surveillance on targeted individuals under the guise of tracking Marxist elements. He also pointed out that the former intelligence chief was yet to fully comply with earlier court directions, including providing access to certain digital accounts.
Rao had surrendered before the investigating officer at the Jubilee Hills police station in Hyderabad on December 12 at around 11 am, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions. His surrender followed prolonged proceedings before the Apex Court, where he had sought protection in the case.
Earlier, the Telangana government had alleged that Rao was still withholding access to his iCloud accounts despite specific court orders, a claim that has formed part of the prosecution’s case regarding alleged destruction and concealment of evidence. The development marks a departure from the Court’s earlier stance in October, when it had extended Rao’s interim protection and taken exception to reports of external interference during his interrogation.
At that stage, the Bench, while extending protection, had also directed Rao to reset and furnish the password to his iCloud account in the presence of forensic experts, coming down sharply on alleged irregularities in investigation and obstruction in gathering digital evidence. The Bench had admonished parties that judicial processes should not turn into a spectacle, especially over allegations of politicians and legislators being present during interrogations.
The earlier hearing also followed a disclosure by the Solicitor General that crucial forensic material had been unearthed from digital platforms related to the case, prompting the Court to adjourn to allow the State government to place the newly found evidence on record. This forensic evidence, which reportedly contains critical data points on the alleged illegal surveillance and interception apparatus, forms the fulcrum of the prosecution’s argument against Rao and others involved in the operation.
Controversy at the heart of the case dates back to mid-2024, when the Telangana High Court suo motu took cognizance of widespread allegations that during the tenure of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) under Rao had conducted large-scale phone tapping of political rivals, journalists, dissidents and even high court judges, in what was described as a grave breach of privacy and a matter of national security.
The phone-tapping case pertains to allegations of large-scale illegal surveillance during the previous BRS regime. A suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police of the SIB was among four police officials arrested by the Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence data from electronic devices and carrying out unauthorised phone-tapping. All four were subsequently granted bail.
Case Title: T. Prabhakar Rao v. The State of Telangana
Bench: Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Date of Hearing: March 10, 2026