Sharma (L) is said to have told cops that Gehlot gave him a pen drive with record- ings of tapped conversations

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EW DELHI: Delhi Police on Monday arrested Lokesh Sharma, then OSD of former Rajasthan CM and Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot, in the phone-tapping case. Although Sharma secured bail, police are likely to seek his remand for custodial interrogation, sources said. Police didn’t confirm reports of Sharma turning approver.
The allegations date back to July 2020 when Gehlot faced a rebellion from deputy CM Sachin Pilot and the latter’s loyalists.An FIR was registered on March 25, 2021, on complaint by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union minister and Jodhpur BJP MP.
The FIR accused Sharma of circulating audio clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress functionaries, apparently discussing toppling the Gehlot govt.
Sharma arrest is expected to open a can of worms. He was questioned multiple times over the last four years, with the last interrogation in Sept this year. He is learnt to have said Gehlot handed him a pen drive containing audio recordings. Sharma had alleged that Gehlot instructed him to release the recordings to the media, while insisting that only the former CM could provide further details. Sharma submitted the pen drive and other evidence to Delhi Police.
Delhi HC had lifted the stay on his arrest on Nov 15 after Sharma withdrew his plea for such protection. Sharma had told the HC that he had cooperated with the investigation from the beginning and would continue to do so.
Sharma alleged that Gehlot placed several netas, including Pilot and his allies, under surveillance and their movements were monitored. He submitted a seven-page statement describing the sequence of events on July 16, 2020. He claimed to have transferred the recordings to a laptop and then to his phone before uploading them on social media.