Government spying on me, says Hegde

BANGALORE: In a shocking revelation, Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has said his phones are being tapped by the state government. His disclosure is likely to trigger serious political repercussions in the state in the coming days.“Yes, my phones are being tapped by the state government,’’ he told Express. His disclosure comes days after he revealed that BJP spokesperson and Karnataka Government’s Delhi representative Dhananjaya Kumar and a couple of other leaders were exerting pressure on him not to include Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s name in the final report on mining irregularities.This fresh charge of phone tapping by Hegde is set to put the government in a spot of bother, while providing cannon fodder to the Opposition parties against Yeddyurappa.Hegde suspected that his phones were being tapped when a private conversation was made public through the media. It was then that he ordered the sweeping of his office by an expert team to find if there were any bugs installed. “After reports of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office being allegedly bugged, I thought similar bugs could have been installed in my office too. I ordered a thorough sweeping of the office. Later, the team informed me that there were no bugs and said that my phone could have been tapped,’’ Hegde said.  Later, using his investigative skills, Hegde found that his phones were being actively tapped by the government and were recorded at two places. He, however, did not divulge the spots. Asked whether the phone tapping had anything to do with the final report on illegal mining being prepared by him, the Lokayukta replied in the affirmative and said: “Ever since this government came to power, it has been at loggerheads with the institution of Lokayukta. But phone tapping has increased in the last three to four months.”“I still know the government is tapping my phones. During my conversation, I tell people that my phone is being tapped. Let them be. Anyway I am going to return the mobile SIM card to the government at the end of my term,” he added. REPORT LEAKEDMeanwhile, there were reports of the final report on illegal mining being leaked.  It is said that the report had indicted the CM, his Cabinet colleagues, the Reddy brothers, Ministers Sreeramulu and V Somanna, besides former CM HD Kumaraswamy. Hegde said he would order a probe into the leak.