NEW DELHI, Oct 5: Union Home Secretary K Padmanabhaiah said here tonight that there should be a full-fledged inquiry into the taped conversations published in The Indian Express relating to the Tata Tea affair and the matter would be examined by the Ministry.

When contacted on phone, Padmanabhaiah said,``Prima-facie, I can say that we have no hand in the tapping. The Intelligence Bureau has not done it. The IB can not tap a telephone unless I permit. Therefore, the issue to be investigated is who is tapping the telephones of these private persons and why somebody is infringing on their privacy.''

In reply to another question, he said the unauthorised tapping of telephones is a crime under the law. The Centre and the State governments alone can tap telephone in national interest with various kinds of restrictions imposed.

The Supreme Court judgment is very clear in this regard.He said the Maharashtra Government could not have ordered tapping of the telephones of these individuals when they are not wanted in any case. The government would certainly consider what should be done in this regard. But on the face of it, this seemed to be part of corporate group rivalries.

He said he would be in a position to make a detailed comment on the issue only after the matter is examined. ``On the face of it, I see government has no role unless affected individuals approach it for redressal. If private detective agencies or paparazzi are involved in the tapping, we will know only after the probe'', he said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.