CBDT, not govt, probing leakage of tapes: Home Min

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said the Central Board of Direct Taxes is inquiring into alleged leak of tapes of telephone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and politicians, journalists and industrialists.

"We have not ordered an inquiry. The CBDT is inquiring into the matter...It was the CBDT which had ordered the interceptions and it is looking into the alleged leakage of the tapes," he told mediapersons in New Delhi.

The CBDT had conducted the phone tappings over a period of time for which the sanction 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.

As per the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the alleged 2G spectrum scam, it was examining transcripts relating to 5,000 calls.

Nearly 104 tapping records are out in the market, official sources had said. Tata group chief Ratan Tata, in the petition before the Supreme Court on Monday, has contended that the leakage of the tapes have infringed upon his fundamental Right to Privacy.