metro india news  I hyderabad

Senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including Working President K.T. Rama Rao and former Minister T. Harish Rao, have sharply condemned Hyderabad Police Commissioner and SIT Chief V.C. Sajjanar for overstepping his role in the ongoing investigation into the alleged Phone Tapping case.

The controversy arose after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing allegations of illegal phone surveillance during the previous BRS regime, questioned BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for several hours at his residence on Sunday. Following the interrogation, Sajjanar publicly stated on social media that the questioning of KCR (Gajwel MLA and former CM) in the "illegal phone tapping case" had concluded, effectively labeling the matter as illegal.

KTR reacted strongly, accusing Sajjanar of acting as both "judge and jury." In a pointed statement, he remarked: "Looks like you have decided to be the judge and jury all by yourself, Mr. Commissioner. Please remember that you are the chief of the investigation team. Whether the phone tapping case is illegal or legal should be proven legally by the court." KTR expressed hope that the honourable courts would take note of such "highly objectionable statements" and act accordingly.

Echoing similar concerns earlier in the day, Harish Rao slammed Sajjanar for prematurely declaring the phone tapping as "illegal" before any judicial determination. He argued that only a competent court can decide the legality under relevant laws, including Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, the Information Technology Act, and Supreme Court guidelines from the PUCL vs. Union of India case. Rao emphasized that police are investigators, not adjudicators, and such pronouncements violate the presumption of innocence under Article 21 of the Constitution, breach impartiality norms under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and risk eroding public trust in the justice system. He described the statements as "legally unsustainable" and "deeply disturbing," particularly in a politically sensitive case involving the opposition leader.

The BRS leaders demanded that investigative agencies remain strictly within legal bounds, avoid prejudging outcomes, and allow courts to deliver verdicts. They warned that such actions in high-profile probes could suggest bias or political motivation.