Fadnavis 'quizzed' in phone tapping case

Mumbai: A team of the BKC cyber police in Mumbai recorded senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis's statement for almost for two hours on Sunday at his residence in connection with a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones, an official said.

Fadnavis claimed the kind of questions asked to him were as if to make him a co-accused in the matter.

IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. Former Maharashtra chief minister Fadnavis had 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.

Following a complaint lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID), a 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.

Before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that Shukla had leaked the confidential report.