Chhattisgarh HC: Phone tapping violates privacy without strict rules
The Chhattisgarh High Court has set aside a CBI phone-tap order against Ravi Shankar Ji Maharaj, chairperson of a Raipur medical institute, ruling that wiretapping is a severe intrusion on privacy under…
The Story in Brief
The Chhattisgarh High Court has set aside a CBI phone-tap order against Ravi Shankar Ji Maharaj, chairperson of a Raipur medical institute, ruling that wiretapping is a severe intrusion on privacy under Article 21 and requires strict compliance with Section 20(2) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The court found the MHA's confirmation order dated July 4, 2025, could not retrospectively authorise interceptions from June 1.
Barandbench.com reports the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal noted the interception's authorisation chain had a fatal jurisdictional defect. The court ordered destruction of intercepted material but declined to quash the FIR or chargesheet, allowing the trial to proceed on other evidence.
The Indian Opinion
The court's ruling exposes a gap between security agencies' zeal and legal safeguards. Retrospective confirmation of wiretaps invites abuse. Citizens expect rigorous compliance with the Telecommunications Act, 2023, not excuses. Will the Centre now audit past interception orders for similar defects or leave due process to case-by-case challenges?
Source: barandbench.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
