Government today turned down in the Supreme Court the plea of Tata Group Chief Ratan Tata's for steps to stop the publication in the media of the leaked transcripts of tapped conversations between him, his corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others.
It also made clear that the income tax department cannot take action against any cell phone service provider who may have been responsible for "unauthorised supply of information".
It is for Telecom or any other competent ministry to look into it, the government said in an eight-page affidavit filed in the court.
"It is not possible or practical for the government to take steps to retrieve the various copies of some of the transcripts which have appeared in the print media or in the electronic media and which are being circulated on the internet," the affidavit said.
The affidavit was filed in response to the notice issued by the court on Dec two on a petition filed by Ratan Tata seeking a ban on further publication of the tapes in the media and action against those responsible for leaking them.
The government maintained that conversations were recorded as part of the surveillance ordered by the Directorate General of Income Tax (Investigation) following a complaint received by the Finance Minister on November 16, 2007 alleging that Radia had within a short span of nine years built up a business empire worth Rs 300 crore.
It was also alleged that she was an agent of foreign intelligence agencies and she was indulging in anti-national activities.
"Secrecy and security have been maintained and the integrity and safety of the data in electronic form have been ensured through proper checks in the systems through which the recordings have taken place," the Government said in the 8-page affidavit.
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