Raj phone-tapping case: Police questions Gehlot’s ex-OSD

New Delhi: The Delhi Police questioned former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma on Wednesday in connection with a phone-tapping case lodged on a complaint from Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Sharma was called for questioning at the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch office at Rohini. He reached the office at around 11 am, officials said. Sharma’s interrogation this time could be a cause of concern for Gehlot as his former officer on special duty (OSD) has publicly alleged that an audio clip of a purported telephonic conversation between Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the then Congress government in Rajasthan in 2020 was given to him by the former chief minister himself.

Sharma’s claim has marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three audio clips from social media and forwarded those to news organisations. In March 2021, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint from Shekhawat.

This is Sharma’s fifth appearance before the Crime Branch for questioning. He was last quizzed by the Crime Branch sleuths on October 10, 2023.