Mumbai: Court accepts CBI's closure report in Maha illegal phone tapping case, says offence is true but culprits undetected

A Mumbai court accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report in a case of alleged phone tapping that took place during the term of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and said it was necessary to allow the report for the time being as the offence alleged is true but the culprits are undetected.

CBI's closure report was accepted by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Esplanade court) S P Shinde on August 22. The detailed order was made available on Friday. The case stems from a press conference addressed by present Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in March 2021, when he was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

In the press conference, Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla to then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department. The investigating agency said it could not establish as to from where, by whom and when the documents in question were handed over to Fadanvis, the court order mentioned. 

From the report, it becomes clear undisputed fact that some of the letters, which are official communication between the Commissioner of Intelligence (COI) Rashmi Shukla, State Intelligence Department (SID), then Maharashtra DGP and chief minister regarding tapping of mobile phones of some of the police officers were illegally obtained from the office of SID, the order said.

It shows some unknown persons committed theft of confidential official records, forged letters/documents by inserting new contents than that of original, downloaded the computer data illegally, the court said. Now, the investigating officer is praying to accept the closure report in view of not establishing who were the accused persons, it said.