The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on former Telangana Intelligence Chief T. Prabhakar Rao’s anticipatory bail plea in the Telangana phone tapping case, amid allegations of evidence tampering and non-cooperation with the investigation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today heard the anticipatory bail plea of T. Prabhakar Rao, the former chief of Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and the prime accused in the high-profile Telangana phone tapping case. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan, and the Court has now reserved its verdict.
ALSO READ: Hijab and Uniform Dispute: Karala High Court Orders Police Protection for CBSE School
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Telangana government, accused Rao of obstructing the investigation and destroying crucial electronic evidence.
He told the Court:
“Investigation isn’t progressing due to non-cooperation. I will present facts that will shock the Court.”
SG Mehta further alleged that Rao had formatted devices while under interim bail, purchased 15 hard disks as backup, and continued to withhold cooperation.
Rao’s Defense
Countering the state’s claims, Rao’s senior counsel D.S. Naidu argued that the deletion or formatting of devices was a standard procedure in intelligence operations:
“No, department experts formatted them as per protocol; I did not delete anything. Sensitive info is handled this way in all security departments. I am cooperating. Only my personal account remains. There’s nothing official there; logs can verify all activity.”
Naidu also highlighted Rao’s compliance with investigation requests:
“I was summoned 11 times, interrogated 18 hours. Everything was video recorded. Cooperation can be verified from that.”
The bench pressed Rao’s counsel on why the iCloud password for Rao’s personal device had not yet been handed over.
Justice Nagarathna remarked:
“It is your duty to cooperate. You cannot deflect by saying someone else interrogated you.”
Justice Mahadevan raised concerns about potential data deletion:
“You alone have the iCloud password. How do we know nothing was deleted?”
Naidu responded:
“Electronic footprints are traceable. Any tampering can be verified by experts.”
The Court also criticized the presence of non-investigative personnel during interrogations:
“This cannot be a spectacle! How can MPs and MLAs participate in the interrogation? They cannot be spectators or part of the investigation; only the investigative agency can do that.”
SG Mehta agreed to file an affidavit to clarify this issue and emphasized the seriousness of the case:
“I just want the court’s conscience to be satisfied this is not politics; this is a very serious issue. You are tapping phones of important people.”
Interim Protection Extended
The Court strongly objected to non-investigative personnel being present during interrogations. Justice Nagarathna remarked:
“It cannot be a Tamasha! How can MPs and MLAs come and interrogate? They cannot be spectators or part of the investigation.”
The Court directed that Rao must reset and activate his iCloud password in the presence of forensic experts whenever summoned.
While reserving its verdict, the Supreme Court extended interim protection to Rao, stating:
“In these circumstances we are granting the second prayer. We extend the protection till the next date of hearing.”
The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 28, 2025, at 2 PM.
Background
T. Prabhakar Rao, the former head of Telangana’s SIB, is accused of phone tapping and misuse of intelligence resources during the previous BRS government. Several police officials, including a suspended DSP, were arrested for allegedly deleting intelligence information and misusing SIB resources for political purposes. They have since been granted bail.
Earlier, a lower court had issued a stern order warning that failure to appear could result in Rao being declared a fugitive. Rao had challenged the Telangana High Court’s rejection of his anticipatory bail plea in the Supreme Court.
ALSO READ: Karur Stampede Row| Justice Will Prevail: Vijay After Supreme Court Orders CBI Probe
Case Title:
T. PRABHAKAR RAO V THE STATE OF TELANGANA
SLP(Crl) No. 7354/2025
