HYDERABAD: Justice K Sujana of Telangana High Court on Wednesday reserved the order on the anticipatory bail petition filed by Aruvela Shravan Kumar, Managing Director of I News and accused No 6 (A6) in the phone-tapping case.
Kumar, who is seeking protection from arrest, is accused of being involved in the illegal surveillance of political leaders, judges, businessmen and their families during the run-up to the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections.
During the hearing, Justice Sujana raised concerns about delays in issuing a Red Corner Notice for the arrest of two absconding accused -- former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao and Shravan Kumar.
The judge questioned the public prosecutor (PP) about the delay, given that the first chargesheet in the case was filed in June, 2024. The PP responded that the CBI had already requested Interpol to issue the Red Corner Notices and that the state government was taking steps to bring the accused back to India.
The case is relates to the illegal phone tapping of opposition political leaders and other individuals, allegedly orchestrated by Prabhakar Rao with the involvement of Shravan Kumar.
The PP argued that Kumar played a central role in the operation, frequently visiting the SIB office to direct surveillance activities. It was claimed that Kumar provided specific instructions on whose phones should be tapped, as well as details on raids and other activities.
The PP also outlined how the SIB office, originally meant to handle intelligence on extremist groups, was reportedly used to conduct illegal surveillance for political purposes, particularly to influence the outcome of the 2023 state elections.
In support of the allegations, the PP read out confessions from key witnesses, including Praneeth Rao, a former SIB inspector, and his driver, who claimed that Shravan Kumar regularly visited the SIB office and was involved in directing the illegal operations.
In his defence, Shravan Kumar’s legal team denied the accusations, asserting that he was being wrongly implicated due to his position as a media executive.
They argued that his work focused on election surveys and projections, and he had no involvement in the phone tapping activities. The defence also assured the court that if granted anticipatory bail, Kumar would cooperate with the investigation.
The high court has now reserved its order on the petition, with a decision expected in the coming days.