Home Minister accuses Centre of phone-tapping

Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of tapping the phones of Congress leaders in the state, a claim he has made in the past as well.

Reddy, however, did not say whose phones had been tapped.

"I have been saying from a long time that phones of some people are getting tapped. We are also aware of how it is being done," Reddy told reporters. He conjectured that phones were tapped as elections were nearing. "It is wrong according to law," he added.

In the past, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar and Water Resources Minister M B Patil had complained that their phones had been tapped by the Centre.

'Kalburgi, Gauri probe on'

Reddy said the government was yet to receive a notice from the Supreme Court, which heard a petition filed by slain scholar Prof M M Kalburgi's wife. Prof Kalburgi was shot dead outside his home at Dharwad in August 2015 and his wife has moved the apex court seeking a probe by a special investigation team.

"We are trying everything possible to crack the case. Investigation is underway," Reddy said. "Probe into journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder is also going on. We're confident of nabbing the killers," he added.