Shekhawat files complaint on phone tapping

CHIEF WHIP MAHESH JOSHI THEN FILED FIRS WITH THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP (AND THE ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU (ACB).

NEW DELHI: Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has filed a complaint with the Delhi police, alleging his phone was tapped by the Rajasthan government.

Delhi police did not comment on the details of the union minister’s complaint but confirmed that the minister had filed a complaint at the Tughlaq Road police station in New Delhi last week. “The complaint was transferred to the crime branch at the first stage itself,” said a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named.

Crime branch’s special commissioner Praveer Ranjan and deputy commissioner Joy Tirkey did not respond to repeated phone calls and text messages seeking a response on the development. No officer confirmed if police have registered an FIR or started probe into the case.

The controversy around phone tapping erupted in July last year when former deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs rebelled against chief minister Ashok Gehlot. At the time, three purported audio clips surfaced in which Shekhawat and some Congress leaders could be heard discussing a conspiracy to topple Gehlot’s government. Chief whip Mahesh Joshi then filed FIRs with the Special Operations Group (and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

HT could not verify the authenticity of the audio clip. The Bharatiya Janata Party has sought an inquiry by the CBI into the allegations.

State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara tweeted that Shekhawat should stop the gimmick of false FIR and come to Rajasthan and give his voice samples to ACB, so that the truth of the evidence with Rajasthan police of your involvement in the conspiracy to topple the government should come out.

Chief whip Joshi said this is an acceptance of Gajendra Singh that it was his voice…Chor ki Daddi mein tinka. This is a conspiracy to save Gajendra Singh from this case. The GoI through central agencies is trying to get a clean chit for Ganjendra Singh without giving a voice sample.

Rajasthan miniswer Shanti Dhariwal had said in the assembly that the SOG of the Rajasthan government had last year intercepted phones of two persons — Ashok Singh and Bharat Malani — with permission from the home department, after receiving information about illegal arms smuggling and movement of explosives. Dhariwal had said none of them was a politician but during the interception, conspiracy to depose the Gehlot government was exposed and that the SOG inspector lodged an FIR in the matter.