Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 26 (ANI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case in Telangana has served a notice to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader J Santosh Kumar to appear for questioning at the Jubilee Hills police station in Hyderabad.

According to ACP Jubilee Hills, Venkatagiri, a notice was served to former BRS MP Santosh Kumar at his official residence.

'This is to inform that a notice was served to J Santosh Rao at his residence today. It is clarified that a typographical error occurred in the said notice, where the designation was inadvertently mentioned as 'Member of Parliament'. Kindly read the designation as 'Ex-Member of Parliament',' the statement read.

On Friday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao was summoned by the SIT for questioning in the phone-tapping case.

After appearing before the SIT, Rama Rao said that for the past two years, numerous stories had been circulated to assassinate his personal character and that of the party leadership. He alleged that baseless claims were made suggesting that the phones of certain actresses were tapped and that illegal activities had taken place.

'I asked the SIT point of view and I said, whose phone was tapped? Why don't you give me the information? Which is this actor who is complaining to you or the information that you have, why don't you produce it? Then the ACP there says, no, we have already clarified, no such thing has happened. Enquiry, the investigation that is going on into phone tapping. I have reminded the gentlemen from the Special Investigation Team, I have asked them,' KTR told reporters.

'There have been numerous stories in the last two years, assassinating my character personally and also assassinating the character of our party leadership. But enough damage has been done to me, to my party leadership, to my family, to all the constituents of my constituency. Saying, stating and speculating that certain actresses' phones were tapped and something illegal was done,' he added.

The BRS leader appealed to the media to exercise caution while reporting government claims. Rama Rao further alleged that the Congress government's incompetence, failures, and corruption had been exposed over the past two years. Citing the AMRUT and Singareni coal scams, he claimed that the Chief Minister's brother-in-law was allegedly involved in both.

'So I appeal to the media, please treat everything that the government throws at you, everything that is given to you with a pinch of salt. Please corroborate. Please verify. Please check the facts and only then publish. I also appeal to the media, for the last two years, this government's incompetence, their failures, their corruption is being exposed by BRS leadership day in, day out. Be it Amritsar scam where chief minister's brother-in-law was the kingpin or be it coal scam in Singherini where again the same gentleman is the kingpin,' he said.

Earlier, former DCP P Radhakrishna Rao alleged that telephones belonging to media industry bigwigs, retired cops, and politicians were monitored during the BRS government tenure. He alleged it was done to keep tabs on then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's political rivals.

During the 2023 assembly elections, officers in Telangana allegedly intercepted the communications of several political leaders, businessmen and Tollywood celebrities, he claimed. (ANI)