Authorisation of interception of wire, electronic or oral communication

(1) A police officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police supervising the investigation of an organised crime under this Act may submit an application in writing to the Competent Authority for an order authorising or approving the interception of wire, electronic or oral communication by the investigating officer when such interception may provide or has provided evidence of any offence involving an organised crime. (2) Each application shall include the following information, (a) the identity of the investigative or law enforcement officer making the application, and the head of the department authorising the application; (b) a statement of the facts and circumstances relied upon by the applicant, to justify his belief that an order should be issued, including,- (i) details as to the offence of organised crime that has been, is being, or is about to be committed; (ii) a particular description of the nature and location of the facilities from which or the place where the communication is to be intercepted; (iii) a particular description of the type of communications sought to be intercepted; and (iv) the identity of the person, if known committing the offence of organised crime whose communications are to be intercepted; (c) a statement as to whether or not other modes of enquiry or intelligence gathering have been tried and failed or why they reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed if tried or to be too dangerous or is likely to expose the identity of those connected with the operation of interception; (d) a statement of the period of time for which the interception is required to be maintained. If the nature of the enquiry is such that the authorisation for interception should not automatically terminate when the described type of communication has been first obtained, a particular description of facts establishing probable cause to believe that additional communications of the same type will occur thereafter; (e) a statement of the facts concerning all previous applications known to the individual authorising and making the application, made to the Competent Authority for authorisation to intercept or for approval of interceptions of, wire, electronic or oral communications involving any of the same persons, facilities or places specified in the application and the action taken by the Competent Authority on each such application; and (f) where the application is for the extension of an order, a statement setting forth the results thus far obtained from the interception, or a reasonable explanation of the failure to obtain such results. (3) The competent Authority may require the applicant to furnish additional oral documentary evidence in support of the application. (4) Upon such application, the Competent Authority may after recording the reasons in writing reject the application, or issue an order, as requested or as modified, authorising or approving interception of wire, electronic or oral communications, if the Competent Authority determines on the basis of the facts submitted by the applicant that,--- (a) there is a probable cause for belief that an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a particular offence described and made punishable under Sections 3 and 4 of this Act; (b) there is a probable cause for belief that particular communications concerning that offence will be obtained through such interception; (c) normal modes of enquiry and intelligence gathering have been tried and have failed or reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed if tried or to be too dangerous or is likely to expose the identity of those connected with the operation of interception; (d) there is probable cause for belief that the facilities from which, or the place where, the wire, electronic or oral communications are to be intercepted or be used or are about to be used, in connection with the commission of such offence, leased to, or are listed in the name of or commonly used by such person. (5) Each order by the Competent Authority authorising or approving the interception of any wire, electronic or oral communication under this section shall specify,- (a) the identity of the person, if known, whose communications are to be intercepted; (b) the nature and location of the communication facilities as to which, or the place where, authority to intercept is granted; (c) a particular description of the type of communication sought to be intercepted, and a statement of the particular offence to which it relates; (d) the identity of the agency authorised to intercept the communications, and of the person authorising the application; and (e) the period of time during which such interception is authorised, including a statement as to whether or not the interception shall automatically terminate when the described communication has been first obtained. (6) The Competent Authority shall immediately after passing the order under sub-section (4), but in any case not later than seven days from the passing of the order, submit a copy of the same to the Review Committee constituted under Section 15 along with all the relevant underlying papers, record and his own findings, etc., in respect of the said order, for consideration and approval of the order by the Review Committee. (7) An order authorising the interception of a wire, electronic or oral communication under this section shall, upon request of the applicant, direct that a provider of wire or electronic communication service, landlord, custodian or other person shall furnish to the applicant forthwith all information, facilities, and technical assistance necessary to accomplish the interception unobtrusively and with a minimum of interference with the services that such service provider, landlord, custodian, or person is providing to the person whose communications are to be intercepted. (8) No order issued under this section may authorise or approve the interception of any wire, electronic or oral communication for any period longer than is necessary to achieve the objective of the authorisation, nor in any event longer than sixty days. Such sixty days period shall begin on the day immediately preceding the day on which the investigative or law enforcement officer first begins to conduct an interception under the order or ten days after the order is issued, whichever is earlier. Extension of an order may be granted, but only upon an application for an extension being made in accordance with sub-section (1) and the Competent Authority making the findings required by sub-section (4). The period of extension shall be no longer than the competent authority deems necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was granted and in no event for longer than sixty days at a time. Every order and extension thereof shall contain a provision that the authorisation to intercept shall be executed as soon as practicable and shall be conducted in such a way or manner as to minimise the interception of communications not otherwise subject to interception under this section and must terminate upon attainment of the authorised objective, or in any event on expiry of the period of order. In the event the intercepted communication is in a code or foreign language, and an expert in that foreign language or code is not reasonably available during the interception period, minimisation may be accomplished as soon as practicable after such interception. An interception under this section may be conducted in whole or in part by a public servant, or by an individual operating under a contract with the State Government, acting under the supervision of the investigative or law enforcement officer authorised to conduct the interception. (9) Whenever an order authorising interception is issued pursuant to this section, the order may require reports to be made to the Competent Authority who issued the order showing that progress has been made towards achievement of the authorised objective and the need for continued interception. Such reports shall be made at such intervals as the Competent Authority may require. (10) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this section, an officer not below the rank of Additional Director General of Police, who reasonably determines that,- (a) an emergency situation exists that involves,- (i) immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person; (ii) conspiratorial activities threatening the security or interest of the State; or (iii) conspiratorial activities, characteristic of organised crime, that requires a wire, electronic or oral communication to be intercepted before an order from the Competent Authority authorising such interception can, with due diligence, be obtained; and (b) there are grounds upon which an order could be issued under this section to authorise such interception; may authorise, in writing, the investigating Police Officer to intercept such wire, electronic or oral communication, if an application for an order approving the interception is made in accordance with the provisions of sub-sections (1) and (2) within forty eight hours after the interception has occurred, or begins to occur. (11) In the absence of an order approving the interception made under sub-section (10), such interception shall immediately terminate when the communication sought is obtained or when the application for the order is rejected, whichever is earlier, in the event where an application for permitting interception is rejected under sub-section (4) or an application under sub-section (10) for approval is rejected, .or in any other case where the interception is terminated without an order having been issued, the contents of any wire, electronic or oral communication intercepted shall be treated as having been obtained in violation of this section. (l2)(a) The contents of any wire, electronic or oral communication intercepted by any means authorised by this section shall, if possible, be recorded on tape or wire or other comparable device. Recording of the contents of any wire, electronic or oral communication under this sub-section shall be done in such a way as will protect the recording from editing or other alterations. Immediately upon, the expiration of the period of order, or extension thereof, such recording shall be made available to the Competent Authority issuing such order and shall be sealed under his directions. Custody of the recordings shall be wherever the Competent Authority orders, they shall if not be destroyed except upon an order of the Competent Authority, and in any event shall be kept for ten years. (b) Applications made and orders issued under this section shall be sealed by the competent authority. Custody of the applications and orders shall be wherever the competent authority directs and shall not be destroyed except on an order of the competent authority, and in any event shall be kept for ten years. The Competent Authority upon the filing of a motion, may in his discretion make available to such person or his counsel for inspection such portions of the intercepted communications, applications and orders as the Competent Authority determines to be in the interest of justice. (13) Notwithstanding anything in the Code or in any other law for the time being in force, the evidence collected through the interception of wire, electronic or oral communication under this section shall be admissible as evidence against the accused in the Court during the trial of a case: Provided that, the contents of any wire, electronic or oral communication intercepted pursuant to this section or evidence derived therefrom shall not be received in evidence or otherwise disclosed in any trial, hearing or other proceedings in any court unless each party, not less than ten days before trial, hearing or proceedings, has been furnished with a copy of the order of the Competent Authority, and accompanying application, under which the interception was authorised or approved: Provided further that, this ten days period may be waived by the Judge, trying the matter, if he finds that it was not possible to furnish the party with the above information ten days before the trial, hearing or proceedings and that the party will not be prejudiced by the delay in receiving such information. Explanation: for the purposes of this section,- (a) "Wire communication" means any oral transfer made in the whole or part through the use of facilities for the transmission of communications by the aid of wire, cable or other like connection between the point of origin and the point of connection, between the point of origin and the point of reception (including the use of such connection in switching station) and such term includes any electronic storage of such communication; (b) "oral communication" means any oral communication uttered by a person exhibiting an expectation that such communication is not subject to interception under circumstances justifying such expectation but such term does not include any electronic communication; (c) "electronic communication" means any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo electronic or photo optical system that affects inland or foreign commerce but does not include,-