SC extends police custody of ex-Telangana SIB chief in phone-tapping case till Dec 25

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the police custody of former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao till December 25 in connection with the alleged illegal phone-tapping and surveillance case.

A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said Rao would be released after interrogation on December 26 and directed that no coercive action be taken against him until the matter is heard again. The case has been posted for January 16, 2026.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Telangana government, told the court that Rao had surrendered but was not cooperating fully with the investigation. Submitting a status report, he sought an extension of police custody, stating that Rao had allegedly carried out illegal surveillance of selected individuals under the guise of monitoring extremist activities.

Opposing the request, senior advocate Ranjeet Kumar, appearing for Rao, claimed that his client was being harassed during interrogation and was being questioned for long hours, from 10 am to 10 pm.

Rao surrendered before the investigating officer at the Jubilee Hills police station in Hyderabad on December 12, following directions issued by the apex court. Earlier, on May 29, the Supreme Court had granted him interim protection from coercive action and directed him to return to India after receiving his passport.

The former SIB chief has approached the Supreme Court after the Telangana High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. A Hyderabad court had earlier issued a proclamation order against him on May 22, warning that he could be declared a proclaimed offender if he failed to appear before the court by June 20. Under law, such a declaration can lead to the attachment of the accused’s properties.

The Telangana government has also alleged that Rao failed to share access to his iCloud accounts, despite court directions, which investigators say is crucial for recovering digital evidence.

The case relates to allegations that senior police and intelligence officials misused the resources of the SIB during the previous BRS government to carry out unauthorised phone-tapping and surveillance of citizens from different walks of life. Police have alleged that the accused developed unauthorised profiles, used surveillance inputs for political purposes, and later attempted to destroy electronic evidence.

Since March 2024, Hyderabad Police have arrested four police officials, including a suspended DSP of the SIB, in connection with the case. They were later granted bail.