K'taka phone-tapping case: Special court rejects CBI report, orders fresh prob

Bengaluru: The ‘B report’ submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a phone-tapping case in Karnataka has been rejected CBI Special Court.

The court while rejecting the ‘B report’ on Monday observed that it is not the way to investigate such a serious issue and ordered a fresh probe into the case.

‘B report’ is a cancellation report indicating that police have not found any evidence against the accused to file a charge sheet and seek trial.

The case was in connection with an audio clip that surfaced a few days after the appointment of senior IPS officer Bhaskar Rao as the Police Commissioner of Bengaluru city by the BJP government in August 2019.

The then government headed by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had transferred another senior IPS officer Alok Kumar unceremoniously from the post before appointing Bhaskar Rao in 2019. Alok Kumar had been appointed as the top cop a few months ago by then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy during the JD(S)- Congress coalition government rule.

The audio clip contained a conversation between Bhaskar Rao and one Fayaz Ahmad, who was said to be close to senior Congress leader Late Ahmad Patel regarding the police commissioner’s post. It was alleged, the audio was intentionally leaked.

The audio aired by a private channel became viral. Later, the case took a serious turn as it was alleged that Alok Kumar got the telephone tapping done on the behest of Kumaraswamy on most of top political and religious leaders in the state to identify any threats to his government.

Yediyurappa government handed over the case to the CBI and the central investigation agency filed ‘B report’ in the case on June 20, 2021 giving a clean chit to Alok Kumar. Bhaskar Rao filed objections in this connection and sought investigation by another agency.

The court also rejected Bhaskar Rao’s demand for investigation of the matter by another agency. It noted that the matter should be investigated with more seriousness.

Alok Kumar is presently working as Additional DGP in Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and Bhaskar Rao, Additional DGP Railways has opted for voluntary retirement. Sources say that he is planning to enter politics in Karnataka.

(With inputs from IANS)