WB, Centre deny tapping Roy's phones, HC disposes of his plea

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said there was no material to accept the claim of BJP politician Mukul Roy that his mobile phones were being tapped by the West Bengal police, as the state and the Centre have denied the charge.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru arrived at the finding after perusing the affidavits filed by the Centre and West Bengal government which have "unequivocally" denied any interception of Roy's mobile numbers, who recently joined the BJP leaving the Trinamool Congress.

The Centre and state government's affidavits contained letters of the Union Home Ministry, DGP and IG of West Bengal, Kolkata Police Commissioner and CID of Kolkata stating that no such action has been authorised or taken.

"In view of the unequivocal stand of the respondents (Centre and West Bengal), the court finds no material to accept that mobile numbers of the petitioner (Roy) were being monitored," the court said.

It, however, granted him liberty to approach it again if he gets any evidence to substantiate his apprehension that his phones were being tapped.

Roy had sought a CBI probe into the alleged tapping and surveillance of his mobile numbers by the state police.

After perusing the affidavits which were filed in sealed covers in response to the plea, the court said since there was no secret information in them, they will be taken on record.

Roy had claimed in his plea that while he was in West Bengal, he always found that the local police were monitoring his movements.

The plea had claimed that similar apprehensions were put on record by several other persons including Union minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo.