Bombay HC quashes FIRs against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in phone tapping case

The Bombay High Court on Friday (September 8) quashed two first information reports (FIRs) against Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Shukla over charges of alleged phone tapping of politicians in Maharashtra.

The FIRs were filed against Shukla in February and March last year. She was the SID chief during the Fadnavis-led government.

 The Mumbai FIR was filed for allegedly tapping the phone calls of Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and NCP’s Eknath Khadse. The Pune FIR filed at Bund Garden police station was in connection with the alleged illegal phone tapping of state Congress president Nana Patole during the tenure of the previous BJP-led government in Maharashtra.

According to reports, appearing for the police today, Advocate General Dr Birendra Saraf informed the Court that the Mumbai police had been refused sanction by the Maharashtra government to prosecute Shukla under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. He also informed that the Pune city police had already filed a closure report in the Pune FIR in January 2023 and that no protest petition had been filed by the complainant. In view of these submissions, the Court deemed it fit to quash both FIRs against Shukla.

Rashmi Shukla is currently on central deputation as additional director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Hyderabad.