3 Things Inside the Telangana 'snooping' scandal under the BRS regime
Aug 20, 2025
Nikhila Henry, an investigative journalist with The Indian Express, sheds light on the shocking Telangana snooping scandal. She discusses the alarming revelation that over 600 individuals, including opposition leaders and journalists, had their phones tapped ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. The conversation dives into the tactics used by the ruling BRS government, exploring the political motivations behind this invasion of privacy. Nikhila also addresses the broader implications for democracy, civil liberties, and accountability in government actions.
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A Concentrated 15‑Day Surveillance Window
- Police allege illegal surveillance spanned years but have strong proof for a focused 15-day window in Nov 2023.
- Investigators say about 600 people were illegally surveilled between Nov 16 and Nov 30, 2023.
Reconciliation Letters Exposed Target List
- Reconciliation letters from telecoms list numbers and IMEIs put under surveillance and ask if authorization should continue.
- Reliance Jio's reconciliation letter and others helped investigators pinpoint non-LWE targets among the surveilled numbers.
Intelligence Unit Used Outside Its Mandate
- SIB's mandate was counter-LWE intelligence, not political surveillance of politicians and judges.
- Investigators found at least 600 surveilled numbers belonged to non-LWE individuals including politicians and a high court judge.