The Pune police has lodged an FIR against its former commissioner, IPS officer Rashmi Shukla at Bund Garden police station in Pune 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, senior officials said on Saturday.
The case has been registered under Section 26 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the officials said.
Last year, Patole had alleged that his phone was tapped during 2016-2017 on the pretext that it belonged to one Amjad Khan involved in “narcotics smuggling”. Patole had also alleged that the phones of union minister Roasaheb Danve’s personal assistant, then BJP MP Sanjay Kakade and other elected representatives were tapped.
According to a statement issued by Pune police, during the monsoon session of State assembly in 2022, the government had then announced that the state it’s ready to probe the allegations of illegal phone tappings. Accordingly, a three-member committee headed by director general of police Sanjay Pandey was formed to conduct an inquiry of alleged phone tapping incidents between 2015 to 2019. Other members of the committee included the state intelligence department (SID) commissioner and additional commissioner of the special branch.
“This committee has submitted its report to the government which accepted it and a case has been registered against Shukla at Bund Garden police station,” the release further stated.
Shukla was Pune city police commissioner between March 2016 and July 2018, when she is alleged to have done the phone tapping. She is currently posted in Hyderabad as the additional director general of CRPF (South Zone).
The alleged tapping of phones had taken place when Shukla headed the state intelligence department (SID). Former chief minister and current leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis had cited a letter purportedly written by Shukla to the then DGP about alleged corruption in transfer of police officers. The letter had also mentioned details of intercepted calls, with the Shiv Sena -led ruling coalition alleging Shukla tapped phones without permission.
Recently, Shukla had appeared at the Pune hearing of the Bhima Koregaon enquiry commission and deposed in front of the two-member commission.
Shukla couldn’t be reached for comment.