Calcutta CAT bench head alleges phone tapping

Kolkata, March 27 :

Justice Pratap Kumar Ray, a retired Calcutta High Court judge and current head of the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) Calcutta bench, has complained to the home secretary that his mobile phone is being tapped.

Ray, while hearing a petition by former IPS officer Nazrul Islam Feb 3, had annulled the promotion of five West Bengal IPS officers to the rank of director general of police (DGP) including the existing head of the state police, G.M.P. Reddy.

While the CAT order was overturned by the Calcutta High Court, the Mamata Banerjee government March 25 moved the high court against the CAT bench comprising Ray and P.K. Basu alleging it had passed “biased orders”.

“I use this number to contact so many dignitaries including the CAT chairman. But of late whenever I call I hear a sound. It seems my conversations are being recorded. So I have written to the union home secretary,” Ray told IANS.

Ray is planning to approach the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“Though I don’t remember, but it seems my phone is being tapped ever since the CAT order (in Islam’s case) and there is a likelihood the surveillance has increased after Monday when the case against me was filed.

“I am discussing the matter with the CAT chairman. Once it is confirmed that my phone has been tapped, I will approach the CBI and lodge a formal police complaint,” said Ray.

(IANS)