Silent Calls, Loud Secrets: Telangana’s Phone-Tapping Conspiracy
By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
Hyderabad: A political maelstrom engulfs Telangana as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) delves into a phone-tapping scandal that has thrust the state’s power elite into turmoil. Initiated by the Congress-led government, the probe targets a sprawling surveillance operation allegedly orchestrated under former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), during his Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) tenure from 2014 to 2023. The investigation, now a focal point of political contention, promises to reshape Telangana’s landscape, with accusations implicating senior police officials, political adversaries, and prominent figures from business, media, and the judiciary. The scandal, dubbed a sensation by opposition leaders, threatens to unravel the intricate web of power that defined KCR’s nine-year rule.
The scandal broke in March 2024 when Telangana police uncovered evidence of a large-scale phone-tapping operation that flourished under the BRS government. The surveillance net cast a wide shadow, ensnaring political opponents, business magnates, real estate tycoons, editors, film personalities, and judges of the High Court and lower courts. The SIT, appointed by the Congress government, now works tirelessly to unearth the operation’s full scope, focusing on former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao, accused of directing the effort. Other senior police officers named in the case include D. Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao, T. Radha Krishna Rao, Thirupathanna, and N. Shravan Kumar, a television channel owner. The Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition assert that KCR wielded phone tapping as a strategic tool, described as a “Brahmastra,” to neutralise political rivals and cement his dominance.
KCR’s Wiretap Web: Scandal Shakes Hyderabad’s Elite
The case first surfaced on March 10, 2024, when D. Ramesh, an Additional Superintendent of Police with the SIB, lodged a complaint with Hyderabad’s Panjagutta police, accusing D. Praneeth Rao of illegal phone tapping. Investigations revealed a sophisticated operation, purportedly authorised by a state home ministry review committee under the pretext of monitoring Naxals, terrorists, anti-social elements, and drug syndicates. Sources claim the committee approved the surveillance without verifying the targets, acting on directives allegedly emanating from KCR’s office. The operation’s reach, however, extended far beyond security concerns, targeting over 615 prominent individuals, including Congress and BJP Members of Parliament (MPs), BRS ministers, and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The sheer scale of the surveillance, spanning political, business, and judicial spheres, has fueled accusations that KCR’s administration sought to control every facet of Telangana’s power structure.
Congress leaders, including state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Mahesh Goud, have come forward, alleging their phones were tapped while in opposition, a claim that underscores the operation’s political motives. The SIT now records statements from victims, piecing together the operation’s staggering breadth. Yet, much of the evidence remains out of reach. Sources indicate that over 90 per cent of the phone-tapping data was destroyed after the BRS lost power to Congress in the November 2023 elections. Police managed to recover limited call records from that period, stored on a pen drive and allegedly shared with political bosses, offering a glimpse into the operation’s inner workings. The investigation now scrutinises how the state home ministry’s review committee cleared phone numbers for tapping without cross-checking, misled by claims that the targets were Naxals or their informers. This lapse, sources suggest, points to a systemic failure, with the committee acting on instructions purportedly from the highest levels of KCR’s government.
The scandal’s fallout has sparked demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, with victims arguing that the SIT lacks the jurisdiction to fully resolve a case of this magnitude. KCR, however, remains defiant, dismissing the allegations as “silly and meaningless.” He denies issuing any orders for phone tapping during his nine-and-a-half-year rule, insisting that intelligence agencies provided routine updates, negating the need for surveillance. Challenging the opposition to produce evidence, KCR maintains that no written orders from his office authorised the operation. His stance has done little to quell the growing controversy, as the SIT uncovers new details that challenge his narrative.
Rumours of advanced technology add a layer of intrigue to the saga. Sources allege KCR’s administration illegally acquired Pegasus software from Israel at a significant cost, a move that could violate India’s stringent laws on phone tapping. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that unauthorised surveillance infringes on the constitutional rights to privacy and free speech, guaranteed under the Constitution. Under the Telegraph Act of 1885, only the Union or State Home Secretary can authorise phone tapping, limited to two months and subject to review by a committee. The law restricts such measures to cases involving Naxals or terrorists, with agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the CBI, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) requiring explicit permission. The court has emphasised that phone tapping carries a minimum three-year prison sentence, underscoring the gravity of the allegations against KCR’s regime.
Telangana’s scandal joins a history of surveillance controversies that have rocked India’s political landscape. In the 1980s, Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde resigned after being accused of phone tapping by his administration. The 2008-09 Radia tapes exposed intercepted conversations between a political lobbyist, a telecom minister, and influential figures, sparking nationwide outrage. These precedents loom large as Hyderabad grapples with its own unfolding drama. The SIT’s findings could redefine Telangana’s political hierarchy, with the state’s power brokers bracing for a reckoning.
The investigation’s progress has kept Telangana on edge, with each revelation amplifying the scandal’s impact. The opposition, led by the Congress party and the BJP, portrays the phone-tapping operation as a calculated effort by KCR to maintain an iron grip on power, targeting anyone perceived as a threat. The inclusion of judges among the victims raises questions about the operation’s audacity, potentially compromising the judiciary’s independence. Business leaders and media figures, too, find themselves entangled, their private conversations allegedly fed to political operatives. The recovered pen drive, containing call records from November 2023, offers a tantalising but incomplete picture, as the destruction of most data leaves gaps in the evidence trail.
As the SIT presses forward, the probe’s implications extend beyond Telangana’s borders. The alleged use of Pegasus software, a tool associated with global surveillance controversies, raises questions about how such technology reached KCR’s administration. The Supreme Court’s rulings provide a clear legal framework: phone tapping without proper authorisation constitutes a serious crime. The Telegraph Act’s provisions, limiting surveillance to specific threats and requiring oversight, stand in stark contrast to the operation’s alleged scope. The review committee’s failure to verify targets, combined with the absence of written orders, points to a breakdown in protocol, potentially orchestrated to shield the operation from scrutiny.
The demand for a CBI probe reflects scepticism about the SIT’s ability to deliver justice, given the case’s complexity and the involvement of high-profile figures. Victims, including politicians and judges, argue that a central agency could better navigate the interstate and international dimensions, particularly the Pegasus allegations. KCR’s dismissal of the scandal as trivial only intensifies the opposition’s resolve, with leaders like Mahesh Goud pressing the SIT to leave no stone unturned. The recovered data, though limited, has already implicated senior police officers, and further revelations could ensnare more figures from KCR’s inner circle.
Telangana’s political elite now await the SIT’s next moves, aware that the scandal could alter the state’s power dynamics for years to come. The investigation’s outcome will test the Congress government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, while challenging KCR’s legacy as a dominant force in Telangana politics. As Hyderabad navigates this crisis, the echoes of past scandals—Hegde’s resignation and the Radia tapes—serve as a reminder of the high stakes involved. The phone-tapping saga, with its blend of intrigue, betrayal, and power, has cemented its place as one of Telangana’s most explosive controversies.
*Senior journalist
