Radia tapes concern national security: SC

The income ax department will have to prepare transcripts of the telephone conversations of Niira Radia it taped while probing charges of illegal amassing of wealth by the former corporate lobbyist.

The income ax department will have to prepare transcripts of the telephone conversations of Niira Radia it taped while probing charges of illegal amassing of wealth by the former corporate lobbyist.

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Some of the intercepted calls, the Supreme Court said on Thursday, have security implications because of dubious financial transactions and foreign connections involved.

The apex court has given the I-T department two months to submit the transcripts of 2,800 telephone conversations.

It was hearing a petition of Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, seeking to restrain the media from publishing the transcripts of the Radia tapes as it violated his right to privacy.

Radia's conversation with various business leaders and politicians were recorded on the complaint of the finance ministry, and some of them found their way into media. The leaked tapes exposed the 2G spectrum scam.

Thursday's direction came when the court was told by additional solicitor general AS Chandhok that the I-T department didn't transcribe the tapes but only heard them.