RIL ‘Shocked’ By Essar Tapes Leak, Seeks Probe, Verification

Reliance claim to be victims of false allegations that are being used to defame them.

Reliance denies all claims made in the alleged phone tapping controversy (Photo: Reuters)

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) have expressed their “shock” at the allegations made about them with regard to unauthorised and illegal tapping of their telephones, they said in a statement released by the spokesperson. The company claims that the released videos are doctored and that they have been victims of false allegations that are being used to defame them.

On Friday, The Indian Express reported that a Supreme Court lawyer, Suren Uppal, filed a complaint to the Prime Minister alleging that the Essar Group tapped the phones of several businesspeople, Cabinet ministers and bureaucrats between 2001 and 2006. Uppal allegedly claimed that Albasit Khan, ex-employer of Essar, handed over cassettes containing these tapped conversations.

We have, at all times, abided by the law of the land both, in letter and in spirit in all our actions and business activities and any suggestion of any wrongdoing is plainly false. The reports are unfortunate as they make allegations without accepting any responsibility for the veracity of the contents. We reserve our legal rights to act against this kind of sensationalism. 

Spokesperson, Reliance Industries Limited

The Essar Group rubbished all tapping allegations in a statement released by them on Friday.

The statement by RIL promises “full co-operation to any authority in ascertaining the truth” and says that they “remain confident of demonstrating that the salacious allegations are false and at all times”.