The Telangana phone tapping scandal has rocked the political landscape of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, revealing a massive and unauthorized surveillance operation that allegedly targeted over 1,000 individuals. Among those reportedly spied upon were opposition leaders from Congress, the BJP, and the TDP, Janasena, prominent businessmen, media heads, YS Sharmila, and even High Court judges. One of the most shocking revelations is that on a single day, November 15, 2023, over 600 phones were tapped, coinciding with the run-up to the Telangana Assembly elections.
The surveillance was carried out by Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), which was supposed to act under the scrutiny of a review committee involving senior police officials. However, reports suggest that the committee’s procedures were frequently bypassed, and sensitive call data was directly funnelled to political leaders for strategic advantage. The scandal has exposed an alleged cross-border nexus between the then BRS-led Telangana government and the YSRCP-led Andhra Pradesh government, with TDP leaders from AP being monitored through Hyderabad-based networks.
At the heart of the operation is former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao, who reportedly fled to the United States when the scandal broke. He has been summoned and questioned three times by investigators, but his responses have reportedly been non-cooperative. The involvement of high-profile figures like former Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao and Andhra CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is being scrutinized, especially with claims that businessmen who funded political campaigns were also under illegal surveillance.
As a multi-agency probe unfolds, legal experts warn of serious consequences. The mass surveillance breaches fundamental privacy rights as guaranteed by the Supreme Court’s landmark Puttaswamy judgment. Additionally, violations of the Official Secrets Act and potential criminal conspiracy charges loom large. With investigations likely to expand into Andhra Pradesh’s administrative setup, political analysts believe that the fallout could escalate into one of the biggest political crises South India has witnessed in recent times.
