Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau Asks For KTR's Phone, Lawyers Say 'Can't Seek Personal Devices'

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana is feeling the political heat this summer with investigation agencies seemingly pressing the accelerator button on multiple cases in which fingers are pointing at the top leadership of the party.

The BRS working president, KT Rama Rao, has been issued a deadline by Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to submit by tomorrow his mobile phones and laptops that he was using from 2021.

This came after he faced over seven hours of questioning by the ACB on Monday on alleged irregularities in the Formula E racing case.

KTR has sought legal opinion on what he should do. Lawyers have reportedly advised him that there is no need to share personal devices. They have said even the High Court and Supreme Court have said the agency does not have the legal authority to demand the submission of personal mobile phones and laptops, unless there is a specific court order for the same.

"The present case deals with the state government's decision to organise a sporting event in the state and has nothing personal to do with KTR. All the documents related to the agreements and contracts are either already available with the government or have been submitted by KTR and others. The transactions have happened transparently through banks. So the court has no right to seek personal details from KTR," lawyers have reportedly said, adding that it appears to be politically motivated.

"Personal communication of KTR has nothing to do with the case. Besides, going by Article 21, IT Act and laws that protect privacy, lawyers have said, courts have no right to seek handover of personal devices," he said.

KTR has maintained that calling him for questioning and slapping cases on him was a diversionary politics indulged in by the Congress government. He has challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to take a lie detector test along with him, so people can see and decide for themselves.