In a high-stakes standoff between the state and the opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has formally asked for more time to meet with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Telangana phone tapping scandal. The former Chief Minister was served a notice on Thursday, January 29, to appear for questioning at 3:00 PM on Friday at his Erravalli farmhouse. However, KCR responded by letter, explaining that he is currently tied up with the municipal election process, which is hitting a critical deadline.
KCR pointed out that Friday is the final day for filing nominations for 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations. As the head of the party, he argued that his presence is required to issue official authorisations for candidates, especially since these elections are being fought on a party basis. He also made a subtle legal point in his letter to the police, noting that under Section 160 of the CrPC, men over the age of 65 are not required to travel to a police station for questioning— a rule the SIT had already acknowledged by offering to visit his farmhouse in Siddipet instead.
The investigation itself has ramped up significantly since the Congress party took office. The nine-member SIT, led by Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, has been systematically working through the BRS top brass. Just in the last fortnight, both KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao, along with former MP Joginpally Santosh Rao, have sat through questioning. The party has remained defiant, dismissing the entire probe as a "diversionary tactic" by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to draw attention away from his own government's shortcomings.
While KCR has promised full cooperation with the authorities, the timing of the notice — right in the heat of an election cycle — has added a layer of political theater to the legal proceedings. With polling set for February 11, the BRS leader is clearly trying to balance his legal obligations with the survival of his party’s local influence.
Also read: SIT summons KCR to appear in phone tapping case
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