HYDERABAD: Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday rejected a bail petition filed by Mekala Tirupathanna, additional deputy commissioner of police (Addl DCP) and Accused No. 4 in the high-profile phone-tapping case.
Tirupathanna sought bail after being accused of illegally surveilling political leaders, bureaucrats, businessmen, judges and their families.
During the hearing, the court considered the Public Prosecutor’s arguments, alleging that Tirupathanna and five other officers illegally tapped the phones of influential individuals. The prosecutor also stated that to evade disciplinary action, the accused officers destroyed crucial evidence by burning it and disposing of it in the Musi river.
The phone-tapping operation, supervised by former SIB chief A Prabhakar Rao, was described as a blatant violation of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, which allows phone-tapping only in emergencies and with the approval of a designated state government officer, such as the home secretary. In this case, the officers allegedly conducted surveillance without such permission.
Additionally, the prosecutor highlighted that the tapping was politically motivated, aimed at securing the victory of the BRS in the 2023 Assembly elections by targeting Congress and BJP leaders.
After considering the allegations and destruction of evidence, the court dismissed Tirupathanna’s bail plea.