The Essar group on Friday denied charges that it carried out illegal tapping of phones of several Indian VVIPs, including senior politicians, civil servants and corporate czars for years.
In a statement, S.S. Khandwawala, Head-Security (Intelligence & Vigilance), of the group said lawyer Suren Uppal, who has written to the Prime Minister with purported details of the activity, “has concocted a completely false and baseless story involving us in order to make extortionist demands from us in the name of an ex-employee.”
Essar charge
Mr. Khandwawala said when Essar refused to accede to “such illegal demands, he is now looking to defame and pressurise us by using the media.” The company said it would legally proceed against Mr. Uppal, unless he tenders a public apology and withdraws the allegations.
“Essar has never itself conducted or authorised any person, including Mr. Basit Khan, to conduct any phone surveillance,” the group said, referring to an ex-employee who was Mr. Uppal’s client.
Mr. Uppal’s letter says his client is Albasit Khan, while Essar refers to him as Basit Khan.
Mr. Uppal’s letter says his client is Albasit Khan, while Essar refers to him as Basit Khan.
Mr. Uppal has in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 claimed that between 2001 and 2006, the Essar group allegedly tapped phones of several key Indians including officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, corporate czars Mukesh and Anil Ambani, many senior politicians and several senior government officials.
Those conversations show the tapped individuals being involved in influencing and manipulating government, police, judiciary etc, he says in the letter. Mr. Uppal had been the lawyer of Mr. Khan, an Essar employee who was involved in the alleged tapping as the head of its security division.
According to Mr. Uppal, the tapping was done from an Essar office in Delhi and another in Mumbai. To prove his claims, he says he has with him handwritten logs of calls with time and date even some key recordings.
In his complaint to the PM, Mr. Uppal has given details of 24 conversations, so as to give an idea of the damaging details available with him.
He claims phones of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, senior political figures Praful Patel and Ram Naik, the Ambani brothers and several of their key executives were all tapped by the group.
