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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

High Court directive to Home Secretary

Special Correspondent

Alleged tapping of cell phone of PMK MLA

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary to give a suitable reply to PMK MLA G.K. Mani’s representation made in August this year on the alleged tapping of his cellular phone.

In its order on a writ petition, the First Bench consisting of Chief Justice A.K.Ganguly and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla, said the reply should be sent to the petitioner within three weeks.

In the writ petition, Mr. Mani submitted that he came across a news item in an English daily in January this year about the tapping of politicians’ phones.

He found that the authorities, who included police officials, were tapping the telephones of political party leaders, IPS officers, party advocates, journalists and academicians. The newspaper also carried the list of cellular phone numbers that were being tapped. His phone number as well as those of the party founder, S.Ramadoss, his close relatives and the president of the party’s legal wing, figured in the list.

The legislator said tapping of his cell phone was illegal and his right to privacy had been infringed upon. The invasion had become more aggressive after the PMK fell out with the DMK.

Unless there was an urgent situation or in the interest of public safety, the authorities had no jurisdiction to tap telephones. The State government had misused its powers by tapping phones.

As the government did not come out with any denial to the news published, he sent a letter to the government in August this year by raising 11 questions with reference to the tapping. As on date, there was no reply. He prayed the court for a direction to the CBI to register a case and investigate the matter relating to telephone tapping.

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