HC Quashes Phone-Tapping FIR Against Harish Rao

The Telangana High Court today quashed the second FIR filed against BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao and retired DCP P Radhakishan Rao in a phone-tapping case.

The FIR 1205/2024 at the Panjagutta police station originated from a complaint by real estate businessman G Chakradhar Goud. In his complaint, Goud had accused Harish Rao and Radhakishan Rao of several offenses, including criminal conspiracy, extortion, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation and violations of the Information Technology Act.

Both Harish Rao and Radhakishan Rao had filed petitions seeking the quashing of the FIR, arguing that the allegations were unfounded.

After considering detailed arguments from both the prosecution and defense, Justice K Lakshman concluded that the evidence was insufficient to proceed with the case, leading to the dismissal of the FIR.

The allegations had attracted considerable public and political attention, emerging amid a series of controversies related to alleged phone-tapping incidents in Telangana. These incidents raised serious concerns about privacy rights and the legal boundaries of surveillance.