8 months after the Rajasthan crisis, Gehlot government admits phones were tapped: Report

The rebel MLAs whose puported phone conversations were circulated indicated that a plot was on to topple the government

Months after a political upheaval in Rajasthan threatened to take down the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state, the state government admitted that phones were tapped.

The response on the Rajasthan Assembly's website, to a question by BJP MLA Kalicharan Saraf, seen by The Indian Express, reads, “In the interest of public safety or public order, and to prevent the occurrence of a crime which might risk public safety or public order, telephones are intercepted after an approval by a competent officer under the provisions of section 5(2) of The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and section 419 (A) of The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007, as well as section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Telephone interception has been done by the Rajasthan Police under the above provision and only after obtaining permission from the competent officer.”

The telephone numbers that were intercepted have not been specified.

In July last year, the Congress-led Rajasthan government was close to a collapse after Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs were given notices by the party after they failed to attend key Congress meetings and failed to respond to meetings. Pilot was stripped of his posts as Rajasthan's Deputy Chief Minister and the party’s state unit president for revolting against CM Ashok Gehlot.

The rebel MLAs whose purported phone conversations were circulated while they were staying in a resort in Jaisalmer indicated that a plot was on to topple the government.

The Special Operation Group (SOG) had sent out notices after a phone conversation reportedly discussing the fall of the Gehlot government surfaced. The notice alleged horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

The Congress faced backlash, especially from the BJP who demanded a CBI probe over the illegal tapping of phones to target the rebels.

The Gelot government repeatedly defended its stance and clarified no phones were tapped. “The information was spread to mislead people. Neither the government can tap phone numbers nor it should do,” Gehlot had said on the incident.

BJP president Satish Poonia had alleged then that the state government did not follow the legal procedure for phone tapping and has been doing it illegally.

Quelling rumours, the state police in a statement said, “No unit of the Rajasthan Police did phone tapping of any MLA or MP, neither in the past nor in present.” The state police said the allegations are "imaginary and false".

“The Rajasthan Police always acts to prevent criminal activities and illegal taping is a criminal act,” the statement said.

In October last year, two journalists were booked by Jaipur police for allegedly putting out fake news in August that illegal phone tapping of Congress MLAs and ministers, who were staying in a hotel in Jaisalmer at that time, was being done from a hotel in Mansarover in Jaipur.

During the crisis in July, the Rajasthan Congress shifted the MLAs of the Ashok Gehlot camp, who were confined to a hotel in Jaipur, to Jaisalmer fearing horse-trading ahead of the Assembly session in August.

(With agency inputs)