Hyderabad, Telangana: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged phone tapping and illegal surveillance case in Telangana has issued a notice to Joginapally Santosh Rao, a former Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), directing him to appear for questioning at the Jubilee Hills Police Station on Tuesday.
According to the notice, served under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), Rao has been asked to be present at the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Jubilee Hills at 3 pm on January 27 as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged illegal phone surveillance and related offences. Investigators believe he may be “acquainted with certain facts and circumstances of the case.”
Background of the Probe
The phone tapping case surfaced from allegations that, during the previous BRS government’s tenure in Telangana, phones of several political opponents, businesspeople, journalists, and even judges were illegally intercepted and monitored by officials of the state’s intelligence machinery. An FIR was registered in March 2024 at the Panjagutta Police Station, naming multiple police officers as accused, including a former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief.
In recent weeks, the SIT has intensified its inquiry by summoning several senior BRS leaders as part of the fact‑finding process:
- K. T. Rama Rao (KTR), BRS working president, was questioned for over seven hours on January 23.
- T. Harish Rao, former minister and senior party figure, was also summoned earlier.
Both leaders were questioned as witnesses, and no political leader has been named as an accused at this stage.
Political Reactions
BRS leadership has sharply criticised the summons, describing the SIT’s actions as political vendetta orchestrated by the state’s ruling party to divert attention from other corruption allegations, including the Singareni coal scam. KTR and Harish Rao condemned the notice to Santosh Rao as a “Scripted political drama.”
Current Status of the Investigation
The investigation remains active, and the SIT continues to gather information from various individuals connected to the case. While police have not formally charged any senior political leader so far, the direction of the probe and the expansion of witness notices have heightened political tensions in Telangana.
