Former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is all set to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone tapping case at his city residence tomorrow.
Even though the BRS leaders raised a stink after the SIT pasted a notice at his Nandinagar residence in Banjara Hills, Rao, popularly known as KCR, wrote a six-page-long letter to the investigators, agreeing to appear before them at 3 pm tomorrow. The SIT had earlier rejected his request to be questioned at his farmhouse in Medak district.
After deliberations with legal advisers and senior leaders during the day, Rao wrote to the SIT, citing various legal instances to accuse the investigators of violating Supreme Court guidelines while sending him the notices. He slammed the investigators for having no respect for the Constitution, the law and the judgments of the apex court.
“Notwithstanding the above legal position, I being a former chief minister for the state of Telangana and present Leader of the 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 3 pm on 1.2.26 at Nandi Nagar residence as you are keen to record my statement there only,” said KCR.
The BRS leaders slammed the government, alleging that the Leader of the Opposition was being harassed under the pretext of investigating the phone tapping case. KT Rama Rao, the BRS working president, lashed out at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who is currently abroad. KT Rama Rao said, “Are your police even aware of the SOP or are they mere puppets in your hands, tasked only with harassing opposition leaders in this manner? You may have no respect for the law, justice or righteousness but we have complete faith in them. We will expose all these illegal cases.”
Last night, the SIT, which had asked K Chandrasekhar Rao to appear before it on 30 January, issued another notice directing him to appear before it on 1 February. Its notice stated, “The request for examination at a place which is not your residence as per official records cannot be acceded to, as the venue of examination is determined with reference to the ordinary place of residence reflected in official records.”
Meanwhile, the BRS will hold statewide protests with the burning of effigies in 12,000 villages and motorcycle rallies, black flag protests, dharnas and block roads in municipalities, to take political advantage. The phone tapping case stems from allegations that the Special Intelligence Bureau, headed by retired police officer Prabhakar Rao, had tapped the phones of hundreds of people, including political opponents, businessmen, and members of the Kalvakuntla family. The phones were being tapped under the pretext of surveillance on Naxalites and their sympathisers.