Mumbai: The High Court of Bombay on Thursday granted relief to IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in the phone tapping case. Shukla has been relieved till the next hearing after the Maharashtra government told the High Court that it had just begun investigating her and will not take any action against her till the next hearing.
Shukla, in her petition, had requested the cancellation of the inquiry into the phone tapping case. Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani argued for Rashmi Shukla while advocate Darius Khambata defended the state government. Additional Solicitor General of India Anil Singh represented the CBI. The petition was heard in front of a bench comprising Justice Shinde and Justice Pitley.
Also read: Mumbai Police summon IPS officer Rashmi Shukla
The cyber unit of the Mumbai Police had lodged an FIR under the Official Secrets Act against unidentified persons over alleged call intercepts and alleged leaking of certain confidential documents. It is alleged that Shukla, who was then the chief of the intelligence department, had resorted to illegal phone tapping to "expose job postings in the police department by politicians in lieu of money".
The cyber cell of the Mumbai Police had summoned the Maharashtra cadre IPS officer, currently the Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Hyderabad, for investigation last month. She was again called on Wednesday. However, she had expressed her inability to be present there due to the COVID-19 situation. Instead, she asked the officials to send her a list of questions so she could answer them.
Also read: Mumbai police files complaint in phone tapping controversy
An FIR was lodged at the BKC Cyber Police Station on charges of illegally tapping the phone and leaking some confidential documents, following a complaint from the state intelligence department. She became the epicenter of controversy after BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis cited her report to the then Director General of Police on the alleged corruption in transfers of police officials.
