Former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has said he just received a call from the joint commissioner of police, crime, who told him that he need to go to the BKC police station for interrogation in connection with a case of alleged illegal phone tapping.
“Instead, they will only come to take the required information. I have cancelled all my Pune programs for tomorrow. I’ll be at my residence. They can come anytime. JaiHind, Jai Maharashtra!," Fadnavis said in a tweet.
The Mumbai cyber police had earlier issued a notice to the senior BJP leader, asking him to appear before them on Sunday.
Talking to reporters today, Fadnavis said he received the notice and he would visit the police station at 11 am on Sunday as being asked. "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 reply," a police official told PTI.
In addition to this, three letters were sent to Fadnavis, reminding him to appear before the police. However, he failed to give any reply.
Fadnavis today said he has the privilege to not reveal where did he get the info from but that he was home minister once and he understands his responsibility. “If an offence was falsely registered and if the police want some help, I will respond. So, I will go to the Police Station tomorrow," said Fadnavis.
“Had the government caught the scamsters and those who are being probed by CBI on time and not brushed the matter under the carpet for 6 months, then I need not have exposed it. The government wants to protect them and somebody who exposed this is being called to the Police Station," he said.
The phone tapping case
The 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 (SID). However, 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 report.
Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. Fadnavis had also cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department.
The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission.
