Date:04/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/04/stories/2007010403171300.htm

Front Page

Phone-tapping rules to be notified

Legal Correspondent

Solicitor-General tells Supreme Court

New Delhi : The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it would issue a notification in 15 days detailing the rules and guidelines relating to telephone tapping by operators in the country.Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati made this submission before a Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice C.K. Thakker on a writ petition filed by Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh for a judicial inquiry into the alleged tapping of his telephone by the Delhi Police.

Media restrained

The apex court had already restrained the media from telecasting or publishing the taped conversations with film stars and industrialists.

Taking on record the submissions of the Solicitor-General, the Bench on Wednesday said that the matter needed examination by the court and proper guidelines had to be framed. It directed listing of the case after eight weeks.

The petitioner had alleged that Reliance Infocomm alone had tapped the telephone conversations of 323 people, including his own, without authorisation, and "we don't know about the other service providers."

On behalf of the Centre, it was submitted that the Home Ministry had not issued any orders of phone interception of political personalities. Further, no such request had come from the Delhi Government for tapping of telephone conversations.

On behalf of the Delhi Police, it was submitted that Reliance Infocomm tapped telephone conversation on the basis of forged authorisation letters though no such instructions had been given. However, Reliance Infocomm, in its affidavit, maintained that interception was done on the basis of due procedure and pursuant to instructions received from law enforcement agencies.