JCP welcomes SC ruling on telephonic conversations

Mumbai, Sep 1 (UNI) Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad today welcomed the Supreme Court ruling, holding that telephonic conversation can be the basis of registration of an FIR against a person.

Replying to a query raised by reporters on the sidelines of FSAI (Fire and Safety Association of India) award announcement function for 'Best Secured Ganesh Mandal,' Mr Prasad said ''It is good and it will help in the investigation.'' However, he declined to comment further as he had not yet gone through the order ''It is a matter of administration and crime, which did not come under my purview,'' he said.

Earlier, in the day Supreme Court cleared the decks for investigation and prosecution of leading Bollywood financier Bharat Shah under MCOCA for his alleged links with the underworld, holding that telephonic conversation can be the basis of registration of an FIR against the person.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Rraveendran and M K Sharma set aside the impugned judgement of Bombay High Court, which had quashed the FIR against Bharat Shah on the grounds that a case cannot be registered solely on the basis of telephonic conversation as telephone tapping of an individual without following the rules amounted to assault and encroachment on the privacy of an individual.

The apex court, however, held that telephonic conversation showing involvement of a person's links with underworld and also exposing the involvement of the money of mafia don in the film industry, is sufficient for initiating investigation against that individual to ascertain the truth of the telephonic conversation.

Bharat Shah is facing allegations of having close links with Dubai-based mafia dons like Dawood Ibrahim, Chota Shakeel and others.

UNI ST-GS SR SK HT1922