SC grants interim protection to ex-SIB chief Prabhakar Rao in Telangana phone tapping case

New Delhi: Supreme Court has granted interim protection from arrest to Telangana's former chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), T. Prabhakar Rao, who is the prime accused in the first phone-tapping case.

The court directed that no coercive action should be taken against him until the next hearing, scheduled for August 5, 2025.

A division bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order while hearing Rao’s Special Leave Petition (SLP), which challenges the Telangana High Court’s May 2, 2025, decision dismissing his anticipatory bail plea.

The apex court asked the Chief Passport Officer to release Prabhakar Rao’s passport and travel documents to enable his return to India. Prabhakar Rao, who is currently abroad, must appear before the investigating officer within three days of receiving his documents and submit an affidavit undertaking his compliance.

The court also instructed the investigating officer to file a detailed status report on the progress of the investigation by the next hearing date.

Background and legal context

Prabhakar Rao is the primary accused in Crime No. 243/2024, registered at Panjagutta Police Station, in a case concerning illegal phone surveillance allegedly carried out by officials under the previous Telangana administration. The case has drawn widespread public and political scrutiny.

Earlier, the Telangana High Court dismissed Rao’s criminal petition (No. 4207/2025) seeking anticipatory bail and also rejected his interim plea for protection from arrest to allow him to return to India and participate in the investigation.

The Supreme Court noted that the question of the maintainability of the SLP would be considered at a later stage.

Relief extended to other accused

With the recent order, Prabhakar Rao becomes the latest among six accused to receive judicial relief in the case. They include Mekala Tirupathanna, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court; Dugyala Praneeth Rao, DSP, who was granted bail by the trial court; Nayini Bhujanga Rao, Addl. SP, who was granted bail by the High Court; P. Radha Krishna Rao, DCP (Retd), who was granted bail by the High Court; and Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao, a TV journalist, who was granted interim protection by the Supreme Court.

The case continues to unfold as a major legal and political flashpoint in Telangana, with the next Supreme Court hearing slated for August 5, 2025.