In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed T. Prabhakar Rao, former chief of the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), to surrender before the police by 11 a.m. on Friday. Rao is the prime accused in the high-profile phone-tapping and data-erasure case that rocked the state earlier this year.
Supreme Court Issues Firm Surrender Deadline
A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan said the order was being passed to ensure the continuation of the investigation into the offences alleged against Rao.
The court stated:
“We direct the petitioner to surrender before the Jubilee Hills Police Station and the investigating officer by 11 a.m. tomorrow.”
The directive comes amid concerns raised by the state government over Rao’s alleged non-cooperation in providing access to his digital accounts.
State Flags Missing iCloud Data
During the hearing, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the Telangana government, informed the court that the iCloud accounts linked to Rao contain no data, and the email addresses provided by him were also inaccessible.
On Wednesday, the state had accused Rao of defying court instructions by failing to share complete access details to his cloud accounts.
Earlier, on May 29, the Supreme Court had granted Rao interim protection from arrest, advising him to ensure his return to India within three days of receiving his passport.
Rao Challenged Telangana High Court’s Order
Rao moved the Supreme Court after the Telangana High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The investigation relates to a major scandal uncovered in March 2024 when Hyderabad Police arrested four officials, including a suspended DSP from the SIB.
These officers were accused of:
- Unauthorised phone tapping
- Creating secret profiles of multiple individuals
- Using surveillance data to benefit a political party during the previous BRS regime
- Destroying electronic records to wipe evidence
All four officers were later granted bail.
Serious Allegations of Political Misuse of Intelligence
According to police, the accused allegedly prepared illegal surveillance profiles and monitored several individuals without authorization. Investigators claim this surveillance apparatus was operated secretly within the SIB and was used in a politically biased manner.
The accused are also charged with criminal conspiracy to destroy evidence to conceal their illegal activities.
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