KCR ‘ready to appear before SIT’ in phone tapping case — but only at his farmhouse 60 km from Hyderabad at a more ‘convenient’ date

A source said, “The SIT is mandating that he should appear within its Hyderabad jurisdiction for questioning. But that is not the correct stand under the law. He should be questioned where he resides normally. They should come to him for questioning there. A reply to this effect will be sent to the SIT shortly.”

In his reply letter to the summons, KCR wrote, “In view of (the municipal and corporation elections), I am preoccupied with issuing authorisation to a number of persons as the elections are being held on party basis.”

The reply further read, “I would like to remind that it is mandated by law that any male person above 65 years is not required to attend the police station and the investigation team is required to examine such male person at the place in which such male person is residing. I state that being a former chief minister for the state of Telangana and present Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly… I would like to assure my full cooperation with the said investigation.”

However, an SIT source said, “In his election affidavit, his Nandinagar residence in Hyderabad is given as his permanent residence. We have gone by the book.”

The SIT probing the alleged tapping of phones when the KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government was in power in Telangana earlier issued a notice to KCR to appear and record his statement in the case.

SIT officials visited KCR’s residence at Nandi Nagar in Banjara Hills to serve the notice under CrPC 160, which empowers an investigating officer to formally summon someone. This is the first time KCR has been summoned by the SIT, which has already recorded statements of his son K T Rama Rao and nephews T Harish Rao and Joginipally Santosh Kumar.

The current Congress government has accused the BRS administration of snooping on rivals ahead of the last Assembly election and conspiring to ensure a BRS victory for the third time in Telangana. According to the SIT probing the case, some officers of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) had formed a coterie and mounted illegal surveillance of political rivals to serve the then BRS government and some of its top leaders.

The notice issued to KCR, signed by P Venkatagiri, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jubilee Hills Division, claimed that during the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the former CM is acquainted with facts and circumstances relevant to the case. “Your examination is therefore necessary and required for the purpose of further investigation,” it said.

The SIT asked KCR to record his statement on January 30 at 3 pm. “If you desire so, you may voluntarily appear before the undersigned at the Jubilee Hills Police Station or, alternatively, you may specify any other place within Hyderabad city convenient for examination, and the undersigned, along with the investigation team, shall attend the said place accordingly on the above-mentioned date and time,” the notice states.

Last June, KCR deposed for 50 minutes before a judicial commission of inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, which was constituted by the state government to “enquire into the negligence, irregularities and lacunae in planning, designing and construction” of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla Barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.