Indian PM directs cabinet secretary to study phone tapping incidents

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said he has directed Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar to suggest measures to prevent leakages of recorded telephone conversations outside the government while looking into the issue of telephone tapping.

We must look for solutions to technology to prevent excess of telephone conversations outside the institutional framework of government... I am asking cabinet secretary to look into these issues and report back to the cabinet within the next month, he said while inaugurating the India Corporate Week 2010 in New Delhi.

The prime minister has also directed the cabinet secretary to submit a report on phone tapping and possible measures that could be taken to prevent leakages of such recorded conversations within a month.

Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the nervousness in the corporate sector over the powers to tap telephone for protecting national security, prevent tax evasion and money laundering.

“While these powers are needed, they have to be exercised with utmost care and under defined rules, procedures and mechanisms so that they are not misused. Legal mechanisms in place should be strengthened for more effective enforcement,” he said.

Indian prime minister's remarks come in the wake of Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata approaching the Supreme Court against the leakage of tapes involving himself and corporate lobbyist Nira Radia.

Earlier this week, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) chairman Deepak Parikh had said the morale of the industry has been hurt by such incidents.