The Telangana High Court dismissed suspended intelligence officer D. Praneeth Rao’s plea challenging his placement in police custody for a phone tapping case. Rao, formerly a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Special Intelligence Branch, is under investigation for allegedly tapping phones of opposition leaders before 2023. He contested his continuous interrogation and complained about facilities during custody. The court upheld his custody, citing compliance with lower court orders and adequate facilities. Rao allegedly erased intelligence data after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s defeat in Assembly elections, claiming he acted on orders from his superior.