Telangana Congress Chief Mahesh Goud Testifies on Alleged Phone Tapping During BRS Regime

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud recently testified as a witness in the alleged illegal phone tapping case during the previous BRS regime. After his deposition, Goud criticised the unlawful phone tapping and insisted that those responsible should face consequences. He shared information with investigators upon their request, accusing the former BRS regime of using phone tapping for political advantage.

In 2021, Goud and other Congress leaders had expressed concerns to the then Chief Secretary about potential surveillance. He claimed that thousands of Congress leaders' phones were tapped illegally, violating the Telegraph Act of 1885. Goud suggested that this surveillance could have contributed to the Congress party's defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections by tracking their movements.

Allegations and Investigations

Goud stated that evidence is surfacing about phone tapping involving the then TPCC president, Revanth Reddy, and other leaders. According to information from investigators, around 650 Congress leaders' phones were tapped. Goud urged the state government to penalise those involved to prevent future occurrences.

He also alleged that hard discs containing phone-tapping data were destroyed, with investigations proceeding on limited available data. Meanwhile, BRS leader K T Rama Rao issued a legal notice to Goud over what he called baseless allegations against him, according to a BRS release.

Legal Developments and Accusations

The ruling Congress party was accused by Rama Rao of using the phone-tapping issue to divert attention from its governance failures. The ACP of Jubilee Hills had requested Goud's deposition in the case, as per Congress sources on Monday.

Authorities are currently questioning T Prabhakar Rao, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief of Telangana and the main accused in the alleged phone-tapping case. Prabhakar Rao is accused of forming a Special Operations Team under a suspended DSP within the SIB for political surveillance benefiting the then ruling party.

Arrests and Legal Proceedings

The suspended DSP was among four police officials arrested by Hyderabad police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing intelligence data from electronic devices and engaging in phone tapping during the BRS regime. They were later granted bail.

The accused allegedly created unauthorised profiles of several individuals and monitored them illegally within the SIB, reportedly favouring a political party at some people's behest. They also allegedly conspired to destroy records to eliminate evidence of their crimes, according to police reports.

The ongoing investigation seeks to uncover more details about these allegations and hold accountable those involved in these activities. The case continues to unfold as authorities delve deeper into these serious accusations.

With inputs from PTI