Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday, February 5 extended interim relief to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T Harish Rao in the phone tapping case till February 12.
Initially, the interim order prohibited the Panjagutta police from arresting Rao in connection with the phone tapping case till January 28. Rao was represented in the High Court by senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu.
Justice K Lakshman extended the interim bail after the public prosecutor sought further time to enable them to represent through senior advocate Siddarth Luthra.
The judge expressed dismay over the prosecution for not being prepared for the hearing on the scheduled date.
The FIR stems from allegations made by Gadhagoni Chakradhar Goud, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate who claimed that Harish Rao used Telangana intelligence resources to illegally tap his phone and those of his family members. The complaint alleged that these actions were part of a broader effort to intimidate Goud due to his social activism and political rivalry with Harish Rao.
Phone tapping: Telangana HC extends Harish Rao’s protection from arrest
Goud’s complaint accuses Rao of harassment and misuse of state machinery, claiming that Rao tapped phones to intimidate him as he gained political traction in Siddipet.
On January 11, the Telangana High Court extended interim relief to the Siddipet MLA till January 28.
The extension was granted due to the expiration of the previous protection order on January 9.
Justice K Lakshman made the court’s decision during a hearing regarding a petition filed by Rao.
