Phone tapping: Rajasthan CM's OSD fails to appear before Delhi Police for questioning

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots OSD failed to appear before the crime branch of the Delhi Police for the third time for questioning in a phone tapping case lodged on a complaint by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's OSD failed to appear before the crime branch of the Delhi Police for the third time for questioning in a phone tapping case lodged on a complaint by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The CM's officer on special duty (OSD) cited personal reasons for not being able to appear before the Delhi Police.

''I am unable to travel out of Jaipur for one week as my father is not well and I have been advised to not leave him,'' he said. ''If there is any urgency, I am available via video conferencing at a suitable time. If any information is needed from my end, you are requested to provide me with a questionnaire,'' he told police.

He told police that he had filed a writ petition before the Delhi High Court, which is listed for hearing on November 13. Sharma had received a notice for questioning in the case for the third time. In the first notice, he was told to appear for questioning on July 24. The second notice sought his appearance on October 22 but he did not turn up, citing personal reasons.

The fresh notice had stated that failure to attend or comply with the terms of the notice can render him liable for arrest under Section 41 A (3) and (4) of the CrPC. The investigating officer said in the notice that there exists reasonable suspicion that Sharma has committed a cognizable offense and directed him to appear before him (IO) on 12 November. He also laid down 10 conditions, including that Sharma will not commit any offense in the future, not to tamper with the evidence or make any threat, sources said. The Delhi police had registered the FIR in March this year against Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telegraphic signals (telephonic conversation) on a complaint by Shekhawat, who is also a BJP MP from Jodhpur.

The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July last year in Rajasthan after audio clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amidst a rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot by his party leader Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs.

It was alleged that Lokesh Sharma circulated audio clips purportedly having conversations about the conspiracy to topple the Congress government.

Based on the audio clips, a complaint was lodged with the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Rajasthan Police in July last year but the FIR did not mention that Gajendra Singh referred to in an audio clip was Union minister Shekhawat.

The SOG later closed the case after the Congress high command intervened to resolve the issues between Gehlot and Pilot.

Sharma has rejected the allegations of phone tapping. The Delhi High Court has already ordered not to take coercive action against Sharma till January 13.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)