The Search for BJP Leaders’ Mobile Phones and Data in Telangana

The SSC exam paper leaks in Hyderabad have become a political issue, with BJP leaders being accused of involvement. Bandi Sanjay, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Karimnagar, has been named as the main culprit behind the leak of a Hindi SSC paper, and the police have asked him to produce his mobile phone as part of the investigation. Other BJP leaders, including Etala Rajender, have also been served with notices to produce their phones. Sanjay has refused to share his phone, and other leaders are expected to do the same. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has called Sanjay’s refusal a crime and made it a political issue. The demand for mobile phones for investigations is concerning, as most politicians and human rights activists are already being spied on by intelligence agencies. The seizure of mobile phones creates new challenges, as any electronic device seized at the time of seizure requires to be cloned and only a copy of this device needs to be ideally taken as per the Evidence Act. Indian agencies have had a long history of leaking information to friendly media organisations. The fundamental right to privacy grants individuals the right to keep their information private and not be subjected to undue surveillance by various arms of the nation-state. A mobile phone in the digital age represents all the private information of an individual and can’t be demanded to be produced for every basic crime he is being accused of. The ruling BRS in Telangana has made it clear enough that they are retaliating against BJP’s actions against BRS leaders, making this a tit-for-tat response. Investigations of corruption and scams in India have always been political with retribution towards political leaders instead of actually addressing the issue at hand.