Telangana Government to hand over phone tapping case probe to CBI, demands Union Minister Sanjay Kumar

Union Minister Sanjay Kumar demands CBI probe into Telangana phone tapping case, alleging a conspiracy between Congress and BRS. He claims his phone calls were tapped the most during the BRS regime and will submit confidential information to the SIT. Kumar does not trust the probe by the SIT and says the Congress Government is not giving them freedom to conduct the inquiry freely.

Union Minister Sanjay Kumar has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged phone tapping case in Telangana, accusing a conspiracy between the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Kumar claims that his phone calls were tapped the most during the BRS regime and will submit confidential information to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He also expressed his lack of trust in the probe conducted by the SIT, stating that the Congress government is not providing them with the necessary freedom to conduct the inquiry freely [1].

The allegations stem from a report by The Indian Express, which revealed that the Telangana police are currently investigating claims of illegal surveillance by five top police and intelligence officers and a TV channel operator. These individuals are accused of using the state's anti-Naxal surveillance mechanisms to monitor 600 individuals, including politicians, party workers, bureaucrats, businessmen, and even a sitting High Court judge. The investigation suggests that an entire module was dedicated to the illegal surveillance of A Revanth Reddy, the current Chief Minister of Telangana, and his associates [1].

Kumar's demand for a CBI probe comes amid growing concerns about the independence of the SIT, which is currently probing the allegations. The BRS maintains that no illegal surveillance was carried out, with its spokesperson, Dasoju Sravan Kumar, stating that the Hyderabad police are on a futile fishing expedition [1].

Separately, the semiconductor industry has been rocked by a similar incident involving the theft of confidential data. Tokyo Electron, a Japanese chip equipment manufacturer, has sacked an engineer who obtained confidential data about the 2 nm process at his previous employer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). The case is currently under judicial review, with the Taiwan High Court approving the detention of three suspects, including a former TSMC engineer and a serving engineer who was later fired for his alleged part in the incident [2].

References:
[1] https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/rr-module-revanth-his-circle-were-put-under-surveillance-during-brs-rule-10176701/
[2] https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6173884