T. Prabhakar Rao Vs The State of Telangana (Telangana High Court)
The Telangana High Court considered a criminal petition filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 seeking anticipatory bail in connection with PRC No.260 of 2024 arising out of Crime No.243 of 2024 registered at Panjagutta Police Station, Hyderabad. The case involved offences under Sections 166, 409, 427, 201 and 120(B) read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 and Sections 65, 66, 66(F)(1)(B)(2) and 70 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Read SC Judgment in this case: SC Grants Anticipatory Bail as Bail Conditions Ensure Cooperation With Investigation
According to the prosecution, the case was registered on 10.03.2024 based on a complaint lodged by the Additional Superintendent of Police, Special Investigation Branch (SIB), Telangana. The complaint alleged that one of the officers working in SIB had occupied rooms allotted to a special team and used official computer systems, storage devices and internet connectivity to develop profiles of individuals and monitor them clandestinely. It was further alleged that certain intelligence records, both physical and electronic, had disappeared from SIB offices. Upon enquiry, it was suspected that the officer had copied intelligence information into personal drives and later destroyed evidence by removing and replacing hard disks. The complaint also alleged that CCTV cameras were switched off on 04.12.2023 and old hard disks containing sensitive intelligence data collected over decades were destroyed and replaced with new ones.
