Jaipur (Rajasthan): In the alleged phone tapping case that took place in Rajasthan in 2020, the Crime Branch of Delhi police has once again summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's OSD and State Congress Central War Room co-chairman Lokesh Sharma to Delhi. Lokesh Sharma has been asked to appear for questioning before the Crime Branch's Rohini office on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Describing the issuance of notice by the Delhi police's crime branch, Sharma said, "It was done with malicious intent. It seems that the Delhi police was waiting for the imposition of model code of conduct for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan." The OSD to the Chief Minister further stated that when the hearing related to this matter was supposed to take place in the Delhi High Court on October 11, it was unfair to ask him to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch on October 10.
It may be recalled that Lokesh Sharma was summoned by the Crime Branch and notices were served on him eight times wherein he appeared before the probing agency four times. It is also noteworthy that earlier the Delhi High Court had stayed the arrest of Lokesh Sharma till February 7 as the hearing in the case was deferred till August 8.
In March 2021, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat lodged a complaint with the police against Lokesh Sharma in the phone tapping case in New Delhi. During the political crisis in Rajasthan in 2020, the State government was accused of horse-trading. Some audio clips related to the attempts to destabilise the Congress government had gone viral on social media. In the audio clip, it was alleged it was the voice of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
The Union Minister had filed a case against OSD Lokesh Sharma on March 25, 2021, with the Crime Branch of Delhi Police, accusing him of tapping the phones of public representatives to tarnish their image.
Also read: Delhi Police summon Rajasthan CM's OSD for 4th time in phone tapping case
