HYDERABAD: On the direction of the law enforcement agencies of Telangana , telecom service providers Airtel, Idea and Reliance tapped certain phone numbers between May and June 2015.

This admission figured in the two petitions filed by the three service providers and the Cellular Operators Association of India ( COAI ) before the Supreme Court, which had heard their case on Thursday.

“During the period from May 2015 to June 2015, the law enforcement agencies of the state of Telangana directed petitioners (Airtel, Idea and Reliance) to carry out lawful interception of certain phone numbers under Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act. The petitioners, who were bound under law, accordingly complied with the said orders. But they do not have access to the content of the said lawful interception. However, the said lawful interception has resulted in political storm in both the states,” the petitions said.

Interestingly, the sting operation by the Telangana ACB in which TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy and three others were caught and the registration of the cash-for-vote case took place on May 31 -- the period during which the service providers claimed they undertook the phone-tapping at the instance of Telangana.

This interception of telephonic communication by the phone companies at the instance of Telangana resulted in Andhra Pradesh demanding call data from the three service providers, the documents revealed. “However, the state of Telangana has warned the petitioners that it will initiate criminal proceedings under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and Indian Telegraph Act, 1995, against them” if they do so, the petitions said.

Referring to AP’s request, Telangana held that the service providers cannot “entertain requests and furnish details of confidential information pertaining to lawful interceptions of telephone communication undertaken by law enforcement agencies of Telangana state falling within the jurisdiction of Telangana to police officers and individuals of other state who have no jurisdiction over the territory of Telangana state.”

The petitions then listed the series of communication that the three service providers were subjected to by the two states, with AP demanding that the call data of the interceptions be parted with and Telangana warning them against doing so.

Caught between the two warring states, the three service providers sought the advice of the Union home ministry and Department of Telecommunications (DoT). In a response dated June 30, 2015 the DoT said, “The subject matter has been referred to the Government of India for legal examination as it related to lawful interception and monitoring that has bearing on national security.” The telecom companies were then directed to approach the court and seek one month’s time needed by the Centre to study the issue and arrive at a decision.

But with the magistrate court in Vijayawada directing the three companies to provide it with the information in a sealed cover by July 24, they moved the Supreme Court. The apex court on Thursday asked them to submit the call data details to the magistrate court in a sealed cover and directed the latter to keep it that way for a month so that the petitioners can move the Hyderabad High Court.

