HYDERABAD: Though Andhra Pradesh government officials have been alleging that their Telangana counterparts were resorting to an illegal act by tapping phones of legislators and even their chief minister , investigators said that police can tap phones in an anti-corruption operation.

Central Bureau of India (CBI) sleuths have been tapping phones for a long time. Investigators even claimed that it was within the purview of police to tap conversations in graft cases. Also, they said that it is admissible as evidence with supporting documentation in a court of law.

READ ALSO: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana top in tapping phones

When contacted, senior CBI officials confirmed that the central probe agency, which has Anti-Corruption Division as one of its key branches, has been tapping phones in graft cases. They also stated that they have been furnishing evidence gathered against the accused, obtained through tapping in graft cases, before courts and that was admitted. “Along with audio recordings of phone conversations, we also furnish relevant documentation,” a CBI officer said. In such cases, the CBI interprets corruption by a public servant as threat to the country’s economy.

Based on a request of the unit head of CBI, the Bureau’s director seeks permission from the Union home secretary through department of personnel and training (DoPT) for tapping phone conversations of the accused or the complainant or persons associated with the graft case as per section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885.

READ ALSO: ACB does no phone tapping

In 2014, the CBI had tapped the phone of then Syndicate Bank chairman and managing director (CMD) SK Jain and trapped him when he demanded and accepted Rs 50 lakh bribe through his associates from a private firm to extend credit limit. IPS officer Ranjit Sinha, who was then the CBI director, even clarified that Jain’s phone was tapped in relation to the case after obtaining permission from the Union government.

The CBI officials said that the state ACB could also tap the phone of an accused or complainant if required and the evidence obtained would be admissible in court.

“In case of emergency, when there is not sufficient time to obtain permission, tapping can be done first by giving in writing to the service provider that permission from the Union home secretary will be furnished within 15 days,” a CBI official said.

Though ACB director general (DG) AK Khan clearly stated that the Bureau had not tapped phones of the AP chief minister or other important persons in relation to the note-for-vote case, the sleuths, who are part of the Central Investigation Unit (CIU) of the ACB, said that the Bureau could tap phones, especially in traps such as the note-for-vote case where two legislators were involved to buy/sell votes for the MLC elections.

“Tapping can be done by following due procedure, but normally ACB records audio conversations in digital recorders by placing the complainant’s phone’s speaker on in the presence of neutral witnesses,” a former ACB official said.