Ratan Tata asks for govt report on how Radia tapes were leaked

New Delhi: Industrialist Ratan Tata has asked the Supreme Court for a copy of the report submitted by the government explaining how the Radia Tapes were leaked.

Mr Tata's conversations with corporate lobbyist Nira Radia were among those carried by some magazines and their websites in 2010. Mr Tata then took the government to court, arguing that the release of the tapes amounts to infringement of his right to privacy.

Mr Tata's lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, said in court today that his client is not interested in claiming damages, but that he is entitled to information about the leak and that his goal is to "ensure that such a lackadaisical approach should not be taken by the government in future." The two judges hearing the case, however, said, "You are enlarging your prayer by filing application seeking contents of the probe report." Mr Rohatgi said that the information in the report is crucial to the arguments he will make in Mr Tata's case.

The government gave its version of how the tapes ended up in the public domain in a report shared with the court nine months ago.

Ms Radia's phones were tapped between 2008-2009, allegedly by the Income Tax department, as part of an investigation into companies suspected of possible money laundering and tax evasion.