A-1 in phone-tapping case seeks anticipatory bail

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court’s single bench of Justice J Sreenivas Rao on Tuesday heard the criminal petition filed by T Prabhakar Rao, former SIB chief and A-1, seeking ‘anticipatory bail’ in the first phone-tapping case (crime no.243/2024) registered by the Panjagutta police.

As the hearing commenced, senior counsel T Niranjan Reddy appearing for the petitioner, told the court that he had filed an interim application in the main petition seeking protection from “arrest”. If it is granted Rao will come to India and appear before the investigating officer and co-operate. He brought to notice of judge the interim protection granted to Shravan Rao, A-6, MD of I-News, by the Supreme Court.

After the HC dismissed Shravan Rao’s criminal petition seeking anticipatory bail, he had approached the SC, where he got protection “not to arrest” until the next hearing, but the SC directed him to appear before the IO and cooperate. On the same lines, Prabhakar Rao filed the interim application seeking a direction “not to arrest”.

Niranjan Reddy informed the court that the petitioner was a police officer, who rendered lengthy service in the department and he is not a criminal. If the petitioner is not granted protection from arrest, he will be arrested from the airport itself, he contended.

Siddharth Luthra, senior SC counsel representing the State government, refuted Reddy’s contention that Prabhakar Rao’s passport had been cancelled and a red-corner notice been issued. Under the circumstances it was impossible for him to come to India, as contended.

As the interim application filed by the petitioner didn’t reach the court, the hearing was adjourned to April 25.