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Ratan Tata moves SC, seeks ban on release of Radia tapes

Last updated on: November 29, 2010 12:35 IST

Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata on Monday moved the Supreme Court, seeking privacy of his recorded conversation with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others.

Tata on Monday filed a petition before the apex court in this regard and requested the court to direct the government to stop further leakage of his recorded conversation. Tata has invoked Article 32 of the Constitution, claiming that his right to life, which includes right to privacy, has been breached by the leakage of these tapes.

Tata in his petition submitted that the conversations were recorded by the government and "we have no quarrel with the government".

He further contended that the government owned the responsibility to maintain the secrecy of a citizen, therefore privacy must be maintained.

After the 2G spectrum allocation surfaced, some magazines had published taped conversations Niira had with politicians, journalists and industrialists. The petition, where the Union of India is sought to be made a respondent, seeks that responsibilities be fixed on who leaked the tapes -- recorded by the Income Tax authorities in 2008 and 2009 -- that were meant for government investigations.

Tata has made the Union Home Secretary, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax Department, the Department of Telecommunication and Department of Information Technology as respondents in the petition.

Meanwhile, sources said that senior Advocate Harish Salve will appear for Tata in the apex court. Tata in his petition submitted that the conversation was recorded by the government and "we have no quarrel with the government".

He further contended that the government owns the responsibility of maintaining the privacy of a citizen.

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