"Custodial interrogation granted, nothing more left", SC extends interim protection of Telangana SIB Chief in Phone Tapping Case

The Supreme Court has 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.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan 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...".

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the Telangana government, told the bench that a person declared as a abscoder could not maintain an anticipatory bail plea.

The bench will not hear the matter in March, till when the interim protection has been continued.

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: January 16, 2026