Fadnavis asked to appear before Mumbai Police in alleged phone tapping case

Mumbai cyber police have issued a notice to senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis asking him to appear before them on Sunday in connection with a case of alleged illegal phone tapping an official said on SaturdayTalking to reporters Fadnavis said he has received the notice and he would visit the police station at 11 am on Sunday as being askedThe police official said In the notice issued to Fadnavis police have said that questionnaires were earlier sent to him in sealed envelopes in connection with the case but he did not respond to them Besides notices were also issued to him twice to seek his reply but he had again failed to replyIn addition to this three letters were sent to Fadnavis reminding him to appear before the police However he failed to give any reply In the fresh notice he has been asked to appear before the cyber police on Sunday he saidA case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station in Mumbai last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department SIDHowever before the FIR was registered the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential reportShukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police departmentThe letter also had details of intercepted phone calls leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Senaled ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permissionIn April last year the Mumbai police had summoned Shukla for interrogation before the BKC cyber cell She did not turn up citing the coronavirus pandemic In May a team from the Mumbai cyber police recorded her statement in Hyderabad in connection with the phone tapping leak caseMeanwhile talking to reporters Fadnavis said BKC cyber police have issued an inquiry notice to me I will visit the police station tomorrow at 11 amThe notice is served to me because I exposed the MVA government I demand that the investigation of this phone tapping case should be handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation CBI The state government cannot conduct a proper probe in such cases he saidThe state is trying to pressure me because I had exposed the scam of transfer in the state police forceI have more proofs with me which I will hand over to the CBI only I will cooperate with the Mumbai police in tomorrows probe as well he saidThe leader of opposition in the assembly alleged that the state government and the police department have panicked which is why the notice has been issued to himThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever