Kerala Governor seeks report from CM Vijayan on phone-tapping allegations
Sep 29, 2024
New Delhi [India], September 29 : Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan sought a report from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on allegations of the independent legislator PV Anvar that phone calls of ministers and journalists were tapped.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Governor Khan dubbed the allegations as "very serious" and said that it is a violation of "law and directions" of Supreme Court.
MLA Anvar had previously accused Kerala ADGP (law and order) MR Ajith Kumar of tapping phone calls of ministers and journalists.
"The nature of the allegation made was very serious. Recording the telephone conversation by the official agencies without any legal authorisation is a violation of the law and directions of the Supreme Court. It is a very serious matter. Normally I do not create anything based on news reports, but these allegations are so serious that I wrote to the CM to let me know whether all these allegations have been looked into, investigated, and if so, what action has been taken or what action they propose to take," the letter mentioned.
Callling it a "breach of basic fundamental rights," Governor Khan said, "It involves the breach of basic fundamental rights of Indian citizens, and it has become even more serious when a former DGP of the Kerala police has admitted publicly that, yes, this is the practice, and this is how we keep doing it. So that is very serious."
Chief Minister Vijayan earlier assured thorough investigation into "all aspects" related to the matter. "An inquiry team will thoroughly examine all aspects related to this matter," CM Vijayan said.
Earlier, responding to the allegations, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the Chief Minister's office has become a "haven for all anti-social elements."
"Phone tapping is an intrusion into privacy... The Chief Minister's office has become a haven for all anti-social elements," Chennithala told reporters.
MLA PV Anvar has accused the chief minister's political secretary, P Sasi, and ADGP M R Ajith Kumar of indulging in phone tapping of ministers and journalists.
Additionally, Anvar has accused MR Ajithkumar and IPS officer Sujith Das S of misappropriation of seized gold. The Kerala government had initiated a vigilance inquiry in this regard.
