High Court lifts pause on arrest of Ashok Gehlot’s ex-aide in phone tapping case

In a significant development in Rajasthan’s high-profile phone tapping case, the stay on the arrest of Lokesh Sharma, the former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to ex-Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has been lifted. This means that Delhi Police’s Crime Branch now has the authority to arrest Sharma at any time.
Sharma has withdrawn his petition filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on his arrest. He had initially filed the petition to prevent arrest based on an FIR registered by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Lokesh Sharma has stated that he has been cooperating with the Crime Branch’s investigation from the beginning and will continue to assist in any further enquiries. He also confirmed that he had already submitted evidence related to the case to the Crime Branch.
Lokesh Sharma had earlier filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking protection from arrest and a transfer of the case to Rajasthan. However, he has now withdrawn this petition. On Thursday, during a hearing in the Delhi High Court, his request to withdraw the petition was accepted, paving the way for further legal proceedings.
The entire controversy dates back to March 2021, when Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat filed a case against Sharma and several police officers with the Delhi Police. The case alleges that Sharma was involved in the illegal recording of telephone conversations, which were later leaked to the media.
During interrogations, Sharma reportedly mentioned former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, claiming that Gehlot had handed him a pen drive containing audio recordings. Sharma alleged that Gehlot instructed him to release these recordings to the media. However, he said that only Gehlot could provide further details on the matter. Sharma had also submitted the pen drive and other evidence to the Delhi Police.
Initially, Sharma claimed that he had obtained the audio clips from social media. However, after extensive questioning, he revised his statements, implicating Gehlot in directing the release of the recordings.
The phone tapping case gained significant political traction in 2020, during a period when Sachin Pilot and his faction rebelled against the Gehlot-led state government. At the time, Sharma leaked certain audio recordings to the media, which led to accusations against some leaders for allegedly attempting to topple the government. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aggressively targeted the Gehlot government, accusing it of spying on political rivals.
Sharma further alleged that, during the 2020 crisis, Gehlot had placed several leaders, including Sachin Pilot and his allies, under surveillance. He claimed that every movement of the dissident leaders was being monitored. According to Sharma, Gehlot had expressed frustration when the media did not publish the information from the leaked audio.