City
Epaper

Maharashtra to probe phone tapping by former BJP govt

By IANS | Updated: February 3, 2020 19:15 IST

The Maharashtra government on Monday set up a two-member committee to conduct a high-level probe into the allegations of phone tapping of various leaders by the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said here.

Open in App

"A comprehensive inquiry will be conducted within six weeks by the two-member committee comprising Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Srikant Singh and Joint Commissioner of Police, Intelligence, Amitesh Kumar," said Deshmukh, 10 days after he first ordered the probe.

He said the Home Department had received many complaints from political parties and leaders about misuse of phone tapping by the previous government.

"This abuse of power violate the right to freedom and privacy as enshrined in the Constitution of India and is a national security threat," the minister added.

Last month, Deshmukh had said that the phones of senior leaders like Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena chief and now Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, to track with whom they were communicating, especially during the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

The probe was ordered on January 23 after the allegations of phone-tapping were leveled but ex-Chief Minister and now Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis rubbished the charges.

"It is not in our culture to tap the phones of political opponents in the state. This is absolutely baseless. The (then) government had never issued any such orders," Fadnavis had said.

He alleged that the political credentials of the person who has lodged the complaint (senior Congressman Digvijaya Singh) is known to the whole country.

"Despite this, if the state government wants, it is free to investigate in any manner it deems fit. The truth must come out before the people. If required go to Israel and probe," Fadnavis said a day after Deshmukh ordered a probe.

Referring to senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's revelations that a Maharashtra government official had gone to Israel for this purpose, Deshmukh said the probe will find out who was sent (to Israel) and whether it was official.

"Is the @OfficeofUT going to give details in public that who was behind snooping and tapping in Maharashtra. Who were the officers of Maharashtra Govt who went to Israel to talk to NSO the brain behind malware Pegasus," Singh had tweeted.

The issue has evoked sharp reactions from the three ruling MVA partners, Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress with several leaders and ministers, including Jayant Patil, Nawab Malik, Jitendra Awhad, Sachin Sawant, and others slamming the former BJP government for the alleged wire-tapping.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: congressDeshmukhsinghisraelShiv Sena
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalPahalgam Terror Attack: Rahul Gandhi to Visit Srinagar on April 25

NationalCongress Committe Meets To Discuss Pahalgam Terror Attack Ahead of All-Party Meeting

NationalPahalgam Terror Attack: Rahul Gandhi Cuts Short US Visit, To Attend CWC Meeting in New Delhi

Maharashtra'Let Raj Thackeray Return to Mumbai First': Sanjay Raut on Alliance with Uddhav Thackeray

Navi MumbaiNavi Mumbai: Eknath Shinde’s Strategy to Give Strength to BJP; 12 Former Corporators Likely To Join Shiv Sena

National Realted Stories

NationalKarnataka BJP MLA's 'violent' remarks against Robert Vadra trigger row

NationalIAF confirms object falling from sky on MP house as 'non-explosive store'; probe initiated

NationalRahul Gandhi, Congress should apologise for derogatory remarks against Savarkar: BJP's Ram Kadam

NationalTripura CM Saha holds key meeting with BJP, IPFT and TMP leaders

NationalPahalgam terror attack: Rajkot airport goes 24/7 as Pak shuts airspace for Indian flights