Ashok Gehlot’s Ex-Aide Summoned Again In Phone Tapping Case

The crime branch of Delhi Police has again summoned former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma for interrogation in connection with a phone tapping case registered by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The interrogation this time could be a cause of concern for Ashok Gehlot as his former officer on special duty (OSD) has publicly alleged that the clip of an alleged telephone conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the then Congress government in 2020 was given to him by Gehlot himself.

Mr Sharma’s claim marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three clips from social media and forwarded those to news organisations.

After this public disclosure, it is for the first time that the Delhi Police has summoned him. He was last summoned in October last year, when the Congress was in power in the state.

A team of the crime branch arrived in Jaipur and served the notice to Mr Sharma on Sunday, directing him to appear before the branch at 11 am on September 25.

Earlier, the branch had been sending him notices via email.

Mr Sharma confirmed that he has received the notice and will be appearing to join the investigation on the said date and time.

“I will be appearing before the crime branch as directed in the notice,” he said.

After voting for two-phase Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan was over in April this year, Mr Sharma had accused Gehlot of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish the image of his then deputy Sachin Pilot and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, keeping phones of Pilot and other Congress leaders on surveillance, being involved in the REET paper leak and keeping the party high command in the dark.

The former OSD had said that he would be giving the evidence that he possessed regarding his claim to the investigating agency if sought.

However, Mr Gehlot had refused the allegations.

The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July 2020 during a political crisis when the Congress was running the Rajasthan government.

Clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Mr Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amid a rebellion against Ashok Gehlot by Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

Mr Sharma had circulated the clips purportedly containing conversations about “toppling” the Congress government.

In March 2021, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mr Sharma on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations on a complaint by Mr Shekhawat.

Mr Sharma has appeared before the crime branch for questioning five times with the last questioning being on October 10 last year.