Farooq Abdullah disapproves phone tapping

New Delhi: Amid the controversy over the leakage of telephonic conversations of some high-profile people, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday appeared to disapprove phone tapping. "We want to see a happy India where all the people can live and enjoy the goods of freedom. Not that my telephone is tapped. What can I say on the phone," he said here after launching a book written by MDMK chief Vaiko. After the phone conversations involving corporate lobbyists were leaked, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which had recorded them, has started inquiring into alleged leak of tapes of telephone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and politicians, journalists and industrialists. The sanction to the CBDT for tappings was given by the Home Ministry. The secret tapes had come into the public domain recently after certain media groups published transcripts of the same. Tata group chief Ratan Tata, in a petition before the Supreme Court yesterday, has contended that the leakage of the tapes in public domain have infringed upon his fundamental Right to Privacy. PTI