KCR Attends SIT Questioning in Phone-Tapping Case

Armed with questions prepared with the legal experts, the SIT team came to KCR’s house a few minutes before the scheduled time and started grilling from 3 pm. A six-member team attended the questioning. KCR’s son and BRS working president KT Rama Rao was also present in Nandinagar resident.

The team went into huddle on Saturday evening and discussed the questions to be posed to KCR. Legal experts were also present during the meeting.

On Sunday afternoon, KCR reached Nandinagar residence from his farmhouse in Erravelli to attend questioning by the SIT. He attended the questioning in response to a notice issued to him on Friday. The Hyderabad police tightened security at Nandinagar and its surroundings in view of SIT questioning and preventing untoward incidents.

Barricades were also placed to restrict the movement of others to Nandinagar. A close tab is being maintained on the key leaders of BRS to foil any attempts to create disturbance in the city. The police also imposed traffic restrictions in Banjara Hills and adjoining areas.

The police prevented former Minister and BRS MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav from entering Nandinagar to meet KCR citing security reasons. Elsewhere in Telangana, BRS cadres held demonstrations across Telangana on Sunday protesting against the political "harassment" by Congress government over summoning of KCR by SIT to appear for questioning in alleged "phone tapping" during the previous BRS regime.

On Saturday, KCR questioned the double standards of the SIT to question him in connection with the phone-tapping case

In a letter to the investigating officer and Jubilee Hills Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), P Venkatagiri, Rao said, "In the letter dated January 30, you stated that my request for examination at my place of residing at Erravelli is not acceded to on the ground that as per official records i.e. affidavit filed in connection with general elections to the assembly in December 2023 and assembly records, the address for correspondence is mentioned Nandinagar address."

"In this connection, you may note that the address mentioned in the election affidavit and assembly records has no relevance with regard to provisions of Section 160 of the Cr.PC 1973. The command of the Parliament under Section 160 of the Cr.PC is that any person who is aged more than 65 years cannot be asked to visit the police station and his statement shall be recorded only at the place of residing i.e. the place at which the concerned person is residing at the time of giving notice," he said.

"The contemporary place of residence at which the person to whom the notice issued under section 160 is residing is only relevant and no other place. It is undisputed fact as I am residing at Erravelli for the last several years and it is the place of my residence and you are duty bound by the command of the law to record my statement if required by you at the place at where I am residing at Erravelli village and no other place," he said.

"In your notice dated January 29, you have requested me to indicate any place within the territorial jurisdiction of Hyderabad city for the purpose of recording my statement. It is your notice that you have not mentioned that since my residence indicated in the so-called official records as Nandi Nagar you wanted to examine here only. Further in the case of one of our legislator T. Harish Rao to whom a notice under Section 160 was issued with respect to the same case, the notice was served to him at Hyderabad even though as per election affidavit the place of residence is shown in Siddipet town. This shows your double standards in the matter and shifting of your position. As per the law, I am not required to present myself at Nandi Nagar house for recording my statement and I can simply ignore the same," Rao explained.

From the legal provisions and judgements of the Supreme Court and various High Courts it is clear that the pasting of letter dated January 30, on the compound wall of Nandi Nagar house is no notice in the eye of the law and the same is contrary to the provisions of section 62 of the Cr.PC, the Supreme Court judgment in Satender Kumar Antil case and Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and the same is illegal.

"As per provisions of the 160 of Cr.PC as interpreted by the various High Courts, you have no jurisdiction and authority to issue notice to me for the purpose of recording my statement in connection with Crime No. 243 of 2024. As per the provision to Section 160(2) of the Cr.PC, you are duty bound to record my statement at my place of residing at Erravelli and no other place," he said.

"Notwithstanding the above legal position, I being a former Chief Minister for the State of Telangana and present Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and also as a responsible citizen of this country in order to assist the department in the investigation of the subject crime, I would be available for my examination at 3pm on February 1, at Nandi Nagar residence as you are keen to record my statement there only," Rao added.

A few days ago, the SIT grilled BRS working president KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao for over seven hours in the same case. KCR’s nephew J Santosh Rao was also questioned.

The case pertains to allegations of illegal interception of phones of more than 600 persons, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy when he was in opposition, judges, journalists and film personalities. The main accused in the case is former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, along with several other police officials, who were earlier arrested for allegedly tampering with and destroying evidence linked to the surveillance operations