Telangana govt opposes terms set by Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) former chief and phone tapping accused T Prabhakar Rao for anticipatory bail

Hyderabad: Objecting to the conditions laid down by former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and phone tapping accused T Prabhakar Rao, who sought anticipatory bail on the condition that he would return to India only if it was granted, the Telangana govt on Tuesday told the high court that all legal avenues were closing in on the absconding officer, leaving him with no option but to surrender before the law.Senior Supreme Court counsel Sidhartha Luthra appeared for the state and argued before Justice J Sreenivas Rao, who was hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by Prabhakar Rao. Luthra asserted that the documents produced by Prabhakar Rao regarding his cancer diagnosis were false. "He was hale and healthy and continued to receive extensions even after his retirement. This so-called cancer surfaced only after the Congress came to power," the senior counsel said.Luthra pointed out that during 2023, Prabhakar Rao had obtained around 1,300 approvals to intercept the phones of as many individuals. "Not a single one of these interceptions was related to left wing extremism (LWE)," he noted, stating that surveillance permissions were meant solely for issues pertaining to LWE. Instead, Prabhakar Rao allegedly misused these powers to monitor political rivals of the then BRS govt, he alleged.The senior counsel also questioned the legality of Prabhakar Rao's role post-retirement, stating that although he was no longer in service, the previous BRS regime vested him with powers and designated him as an "authorised officer" to conduct such activities. "He even set up a special operations team, whose operations had nothing to do with LWE. He was fully aware that his actions lacked any legal sanction," Luthra said."As soon as the Congress govt came to power and initiated a probe, he fled the country," he added.Luthra further alleged that Prabhakar Rao not only tapped phones but also destroyed surveillance equipment and hard disks before fleeing. "Now, he is laying down conditions for his return, as if he has multiple options. His passport has been revoked, a red corner notice has been issued by Interpol, and the state is actively pursuing his extradition," Luthra told the court."He was supposed to protect citizens' rights and uphold the law—but he did exactly the opposite. And now he is invoking his own rights," the senior counsel said, emphasising the need for custodial interrogation to uncover the identities of those whose phones were tapped and what information was collected.Arguments in the case will continue on Wednesday.