The Supreme Court on October 14, directed former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the phone-tapping case, to reset and furnish the password to his iCloud account in the presence of forensic experts with the State Police. A bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice R Mahadevan passed the direction while hearing Rao’s anticipatory bail plea, in which the State of Telangana has filed an interlocutory application (IA) seeking to vacate the interim protection from arrest granted to him earlier.
The State, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that the investigation was not progressing due to Rao’s “non-cooperation”. “I will present some facts that will shock the court,” the SG submitted, alleging that Rao had formatted electronic devices and destroyed vital evidence while under the court’s protective order.
Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for Rao, denied the allegations, asserting that his client had been fully cooperating with the probe. “I was summoned 11 times and interrogated for 18 hours. All that is video recorded. So whether I have cooperated or not can be decided based on that,” Naidu said, adding that Rao had forgotten the password to his old iCloud account.
Naidu assured the bench that he was willing to reset the password in the presence of the police’s forensic experts, stating, “I am not taking shelter under the right to privacy. I am cooperating and I have earned the liberty that this Court granted me.” Justice Nagarathna, however, raised questions about the deletion of data and the integrity of the devices. “You deleted the devices,” she remarked. Naidu responded, “It is protocol due to sensitive information. I did not delete; the department computer experts deleted.”
Justice Mahadevan observed that Rao alone had access to the iCloud account and questioned, “What is the guarantee that you have not deleted anything from it as of now?” Naidu replied that all activity logs could be verified by experts, as “electronic footprints will be there.” When Naidu alleged that “outsiders, politicians, MPs and MLAs” were allowed to question him during interrogation, Justice Nagarathna expressed concern: “It cannot be a tamasha! How can MPs and MLAs come in and interrogate? They cannot be spectators or part of the investigation.” The Solicitor General denied the allegation and said that an affidavit can be filed.
“He was intercepting phones of important people, not just politicians. After filing of anticipatory bail application, he formatted the device. It is as good as a new device. It is not my surmise. The CFSL says that. it is our case that he has a backup because he purchased 15 hard discs. But he says he doesn’t have anything. He is not cooperating because of the protective umbrella of this court’s interim protection,” SG said.
Naidu alleged that the investigation was politically motivated and said, “The CM has said that I will be put behind bars. It is their dream.” SG vehemently denied the allegation.
After hearing the parties for over an hour, the Court passed the order as follows: “As and when the petitioner is summoned, he shall take steps to reset and activate the password in the presence of forensic experts as submitted by the learned counsel for the petitioner. We are inclined to grant the second prayer sought by the State in the IA. We deem it just and proper to extend the protection granted to the petitioner until the next date of hearing.” The “second prayer” referred to in the order sought directions compelling Rao to provide the correct ID and password for his iCloud and other cloud backups, details of devices or drives used for backup prior to formatting, and related information sought by the investigation agency. The Court thus continued Rao’s interim protection from arrest while ensuring that he cooperates fully with the investigation.
On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court had directed the return of Rao’s passport so that he could return to India from USA, and ordered that no coercive steps be taken against him until further orders. This order came after the Telangana High Court had dismissed his plea for interim protection from arrest on May 3, 2025.
Rao has argued that he left for the United States before being accused, and that the State had cancelled his passport and issued a red-corner notice against him. The Telangana Government has opposed his plea for anticipatory bail, contending that he is an absconder.
The Telangana phone tapping case involves a massive illegal surveillance operation allegedly conducted during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, targeting politicians, opposition leaders, journalists, activists, bureaucrats, and even judges.
The scandal broke in March 2024, shortly after the BRS lost the 2023 Assembly elections, when the new Congress government discovered that a Special Operations Team (SOT) within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) had tapped hundreds of phones and destroyed related evidence.
The main accused is former SIB Chief T Prabhakar Rao, accused of ordering and supervising the operation, destruction of electronic data, and obstructing the probe. Other key accused include D Praneeth Rao (DSP-SIB), involved in data deletion; M Thirupathanna and N Bhujanga Rao (Additional SPs), who allegedly profiled opposition leaders and organized surveillance; T Radha Kishan Rao (former DCP, Task Force), who conducted targeted seizures during elections.
Former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is alleged to have politically benefited, with Congress leaders accusing the SIB of acting on his orders, a charge the BRS denies.
Victims reportedly include current Telangana CM Revant Reddy, state Congress Chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud (Congress), Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar and BJP leader G Premendar Reddy, and several TDP leaders, activists, and businesspersons with over 600 phones tapped. The case remains politically explosive, symbolizing the deep clash between Congress, BRS, and BJP over accusations of state misuse, privacy violations, and political vendetta.
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