Months after 'secret' letter, Telangana phone tapping case heats up

Former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao

Twenty months after a "top secret" letter arrived at Telangana's intelligence office in December 2023, the phone tapping scandal that has troubled the state's political scene is now entering a crucial phase.

On August 8, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar and his staff will meet with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Hyderabad.

His statement, delayed earlier because of Parliament session, is expected to include information from central agencies. This might provide proof that judges, bureaucrats, and private citizens had their phones tapped illegally.

The case, now under close political and legal watch, started quietly on December 6, 2023. Just three days after the Congress took power in the state, telecom companies sent letters to the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) asking if the legal monitoring of specific mobile numbers from November 16 to 30, before the Assembly elections, should continue. This led to internal checks and eventually triggered the investigation.

The monitored numbers raised concerns. Nearly 600 phones were tapped, but none were linked to Left Wing Extremism, which the SIB was supposed to track. Instead, the tapped phones included opposition leaders, government officials, a sitting High Court judge, businesspeople, and even drivers and long-time associates of politicians. What came to light was not a security operation but a planned effort to monitor political activities before the elections, seemingly to help the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

SIT Raids

The investigation picked up speed on March 10, 2024, when an Additional Superintendent of Police filed a complaint against DSP G. Praneeth Rao. The complaint accused him of illegally monitoring phones and destroying evidence. This complaint was a key moment that led to the formation of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

On June 8, 2024, charges were filed against five senior police and intelligence officials. These included former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, DSP Praneeth Rao, M. Thirupathanna, N. Bhujanga Rao, and P. Radhakishan Rao. A television channel operator, A. Shravan Kumar Rao, was also named. Four of the officers are currently out on bail, while Shravan remains in jail on unrelated charges.

As the SIT continued its work, it uncovered more troubling information. On December 4, just one day after the election results were announced, 62 hard drives were destroyed at the SIB office. SIT officials believe this destruction happened on the orders of Prabhakar Rao, who had resigned earlier that day. Some of these drives were later retrieved from the Musi River and reportedly contained political profiling data, call logs, and internal reports created using official resources.

A crucial witness, former Task Force officer Radha Kishan Rao, told the SIT that the operation was carried out on the instructions of “peddayina,” thought to refer to former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

Supreme Court Steps In

On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court made an important decision regarding Prabhakar Rao. The court granted him temporary protection from arrest, allowing him time to return from the United States. He must hand over his passport to the authorities and cooperate with the investigation. This protection is in place until August 5, but it has been extended since his hearing was postponed.

Both the state and central governments opposed this order, arguing that Rao had already been labelled a 'proclaimed offender.' However, the court decided that since he was willing to cooperate, an extradition process was not needed.

Politics Gets Personal

The scandal has now turned into a major political conflict. On July 22, BRS leader Praveen Kumar called for a CBI investigation. He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is under scrutiny for using private agencies and Pegasus spyware to eavesdrop on phones after the elections. He claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was aware of this and that his phone had been tapped.

Revanth Reddy responded two days later. He said the complaint that started the investigation was filed when BRS was still in power. He also stated he would fully cooperate with the SIT if asked to testify.

On July 25, BRS leaders increased their accusations. They claimed the Congress government had tapped the phones of all sitting MLAs and MPs using private hackers. They said the SIT was protecting the Chief Minister while unfairly targeting BRS leaders, even though Revanth had previously stated that the last government tapped his phone.

Meanwhile, the BJP supports a central investigation. Its legal team has gone to the High Court to request that the case be transferred to the CBI. Party insiders mention that discussions are happening at the national level to bring this issue to attention beyond Telangana.

Where the Probe Stands

The SIT is now reviewing a larger list of 1,600 tapped phone numbers. This list comes from information provided by former Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari during her testimony on June 22. She told the SIT that the authorising committee had been misled by the officers accused in the case, which adds to the serious impact of the situation.

In June, BJP MPs Eatala Rajender and Konda Vishweshwar Reddy confirmed that the phone tapping might have started as early as 2018. On July 6, the SIT stated that it found no evidence that film actors were being monitored. Instead, the investigation now focuses on political figures and government officials.

Timeline of events

December 6, 2023: Reconciliation letter from Jio uncovers possible misuse of surveillance.
June 8, 2024: Chargesheet filed against five police officers and a media operator.
May 29, 2025: SC grants interim protection to T Prabhakar Rao
Jun 19–20: 2025 Rao questioned by SIT
June 22, 2025: Santhi Kumari reveals that the review panel was misled
June 24, 2025: Eatala Rajender testifies to tapping since 2018
June 27, 2025: Konda Vishweshwar Reddy gives his statement
July 6, 2025: No evidence of celebrity surveillance
Jul 22–25, 2025: Allegations and counters by BRS and Congress
August 8, 2025: Bandi Sanjay Kumar is scheduled to depose before the SIT