The Supreme Court on Friday extended the police custody of former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao till December 25 in connection with the alleged phone-tapping case that has political and legal ramifications in Telangana.
Custody extended, interim protection continues
A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan directed that Rao be released after the completion of interrogation on December 26. The court also ordered that no coercive action be taken against him until the matter is heard again.
The apex court has listed the case for further hearing on January 16, 2026.
Centre alleges non-cooperation in probe
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Telangana government, informed the court that although Rao had surrendered, he was not cooperating fully with the investigation. A status report was submitted, and an extension of police custody was sought.
Mehta alleged that Rao had carried out illegal surveillance of targeted individuals, allegedly under the pretext of tracking Marxist activities.
Defence alleges harassment during questioning
Senior advocate Ranjeet Kumar, representing Rao, countered the allegations, claiming that the former SIB chief was being harassed in the name of interrogation. He told the court that Rao was being questioned for nearly 12 hours a day, from morning to late evening.
Background of the case
Rao surrendered before the investigating officer at Jubilee Hills police station on December 12, in compliance with Supreme Court directions. Earlier, the Telangana government alleged that he had failed to hand over his iCloud account details despite court orders.
On May 29, the Supreme Court had granted Rao interim protection from coercive action, directing him to return to India after receiving his passport. He had approached the apex court after the Telangana High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
A Hyderabad court had also issued a proclamation order against Rao on May 22, warning that he could be declared a proclaimed offender if he failed to appear.
Alleged misuse of intelligence machinery
Police allege that Rao and other accused misused SIB resources for political surveillance during the previous BRS regime. Several police officials have already been arrested for allegedly erasing intelligence data, illegal phone-tapping, and destruction of evidence. They were later granted bail.
The investigation into the wider conspiracy remains ongoing.