HYDERABAD: Justice J Sreenivasa Rao of the Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by former Special Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao.
The court also rejected an implead petition filed by S Sreedhar Rao, managing director of Sandhya Conventions, who claimed to be a victim of illegal surveillance allegedly orchestrated under Prabhakar Rao’s direction.
The high-profile hearing, which concluded earlier this week, saw intense arguments from both sides. Senior counsel T Niranjan Reddy, appearing for the former SIB chief, strongly opposed the implead plea filed by Sreedhar Rao, asserting that he had no locus standi in the matter.
“This is our petition for anticipatory bail. Sreedhar Rao, who is facing 25 criminal cases, cannot be allowed to intervene in these proceedings,” Niranjan Reddy argued.
He contended that Prabhakar Rao was being selectively targeted by the prosecution, and hinted that the alleged surveillance and destruction of evidence was sanctioned by higher authorities, including the then home secretary and review committees.
However, public prosecutor Palle Nageswara Rao supported Sreedhar Rao’s right to voice objections, stating that the existence of criminal cases against him did not invalidate his claim of being a victim. He argued against anticipatory bail being granted in cases involving pending non-bailable warrants, ongoing extradition efforts, or Red Corner notices.
In response to the defence’s assertion that extradition proceedings had not commenced, Nageswara Rao clarified that a letter rogatory had already been issued to a US court formally initiating the legal process for extradition.