The much hyped inquiry into illegal phone tapping case has been completed by the vigilance department and the report is likely to be submitted to the home department anytime now.
Vigilance department was handed over the inquiry by state government to investigate the hard discs seized from technical cell of CID department and even vigilance department after state Forensic Science laboratory analyzed and retrieved the data.
Since the Congress government under chief minister Virbhadra Singh came into power, technical cells and vigilance cell were raided and computers were seized along with several snooping devices. In the report to be submitted, Vigilance department has found that 1385 phone calls were illegally tapped by the CID and Vigilance till December 2012.
It was also found that no requisite permission was taken from the home department for keeping the phones under surveillance. Former DGP, ID Bhandari who was heading the CID department as ADGP during the BJP government and some senior officials who worked in technical cell and CID had come under scanner. Bhandari was removed from the post of DGP after the case surfaced.
Vigilance department will seek permission from the state government to lodge an FIR against the accused. However, vigilance department has not been able to find ample evidences to nail a retired DGP, who was head of Himachal Police at that time.
Role of several service providers in the state, has also come under scanner as on what grounds and on whose permissions they allowed the snooping, as well provided personal details of their subscribers to the police without following laid down norms.
DIG (Vigilance) AP Singh confirmed that investigation in the case has been completed and the report will be submitted to the home department for further action. He, however, refused to disclose further information in the case and said that things will be cleared once FIR has been lodged in the case.
Sources said that Vigilance had inquired mostly on some major aspects that despite of laid norms of destroying the records after six months, why were they kept and on whose permission, on whose direction or orders phones were kept under surveillance for years and lakhs of conversation were tapped, despite findings of wrongdoings in phone tapping against several IAS officers, retired officers, police officials, politicians and their relatives why no action was taken or what was the motive of phone tapping.
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh had already said in public that his room at Himachal Bhawan at Chandigarh was bugged during previous BJP government and Vigilance had also inquired into the matter and departmental action has been recommended against the accused officials.