RS panel to revisit report on illegal access of call data records
NEW DELHI: The privileges committee of the Rajya Sabha will revisit its report on the unauthorised accessing of call detail records (CDR), during the previous regime, of then opposition leader Arun Jaitley.
In its report tabled in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the committee noted that the act of accessing CDRs in an unauthorised manner, though sinister and punishable in the eyes of the law, “does not seem to cause any hindrance of obstruction in the functioning of a Member of Parliament so as to attract breach of his parliamentary privileges.”
Opposition MPs demanded that the scope of the probe be widened to look into alleged phone tapping of politicians, judges and civil servants.
SP leader Naresh Agrawal raised the matter as soon as the house met saying accessing CDRs of an MP should be treated as a breach of privilege.
Congress leader Anand Sharma alleged there was rampant phone tapping and surveillance on political leaders, prominent persons, senior judiciary and senior civil servants and that the privileges committee should also look into it. He demanded an inquiry into the entire issue by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Satish Mishra echoed similar views.
Deputy chairman PJ Kurien said the panel’s report was before the House and the House can decide to discuss, accept or reject the report. He said he had no problems about revisiting the report and will come back to the House on the procedure of doing so.
“I am accepting the suggestions (of revising the report)... there is no prestige issue,” he said. On the issue of enlarging the scope, Kurien said the Chair will examine it and come back to the House.