Delhi Police SIT begins probing alleged phone tapping by Essar

New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) A preliminary enquiry has beeninitiated by Delhi Police into allegations of tapping ofphones of politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and manyother high-profile people by corporate major Essar Group. Lawyer Suren Uppal, the complainant in the case, has beenasked to present himself before the Special Investigation Teamof Delhi Police on September 10. Uppal had filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court in Junealleging that Essar tapped phones of a number of high-profilepersons including some Union Ministers. He had also approachedthe PMO against the group in the case. The lawyer had alleged that the Essar Group had orderedits former security chief Albasit Khan to tap telephonicconversations of its business rivals when Atal BihariVajpayee was the Prime Minister. In July, the Home Ministry had told the Delhi High Courtthat it has directed police to carry out a preliminary enquiryinto the allegations Uppal had made in his PIL. In a letter to Uppal on September 2, a Deputy Commissionerof Police had asked him to join the probe being carried out bythe SIT, a senior Delhi Police official said, refusing toshare further details. When contacted, Uppal claimed he has a lot of documentaryevidence including log books, handwritten notes as well asrecordings of some top politicians and other high-profilepersons to back his charge that the corporate major indulgedin phone tapping from 2001 to 2005. "I am ready to join the probe and present myself beforethe police committee on the given time and date. I havereceived just a letter asking me to join the probe. I have alot of documentary evidences including some CDs that I havenot given to anyone so far," he said. Sources said that the SIT, led by a special commissioner,is expected to file a case after it wraps up its preliminaryprobe. The five-member SIT is likely to call many persons to jointhe probe. PTI VIT MPBSK