No criminality found in Niira Radia tapes: CBI to SC

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has found no criminality into the intercepted conversations of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with some politicians, businessmen, media persons, and other individuals. Taking stock of the submissions, the Supreme Court directed the agency to file a status report.

The CBI's counsel also told a three-judge bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha that a petition filed by industrialist Ratan Tata seeking protection of the right to privacy in view of the emergence of the Radia tapes may be disposed of in the light of the right to privacy judgement of the SC.

"Fourteen preliminary inquiries were registered, and the report was placed before your lordships in a sealed cover. No criminality was found in those. Also, now there are phone-tapping guidelines in place," the counsel for CBI informed the bench.


The CBI counsel told the court that nothing remains in the matter after the privacy judgement. The bench observed that it will hear the matter after Dussehra vacations.

"Meanwhile, the CBI may file an updated status report," the bench said, posting the matter for October 12.

The counsel for the petitioner informed the apex court that there is another petition filed by NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which had sought that these transcripts be made public in the larger public interest.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for CPIL, said Radia was a corporate lobbyist for two of the most important companies and there were attempts to influence public persons, etc., which was revealed.

The apex court in 2013 directed a CBI inquiry into six issues arising out of the analysis of Radia's taped conversations.

"Radia's conversations reveal deep-rooted malice by private enterprises in connivance with government officials for extraneous purposes," the top court had said.

The development took place during the resumed hearing of a petition filed by Tata seeking action against those involved in the leakage of the tapes, alleging the leakage amounts to infringement of his fundamental right to life, which includes the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.

He had contended that Radia's phone was tapped for probing alleged tax evasion and the tapes cannot be used for any other purpose.