However, he failed to give any reply. In the fresh notice, he has been asked to appear before the cyber police on Sunday, he said. A case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station in Mumbai last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID).

However, before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report. Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department.

The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission. In April last year, the Mumbai police had summoned Shukla for interrogation before the BKC cyber cell. She did not turn up citing the coronavirus pandemic.

In May, a team from the Mumbai cyber police recorded her statement in Hyderabad in connection with the phone tapping leak case.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, told reporters that he had received the notice and he would visit the police station at 11 am on Sunday as being asked. Later, he tweeted saying, Just received a call from joint CP (Crime) informing me that there is no need to visit BKC cyber police station. They will come to my residence to take the required information. I will be at my residence. I have cancelled all Pune programmes for tomorrow. They can come anytime.

The former chief minister said the notice was served to him because he had exposed the MVA government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.

“I demand that the investigation of this (phone tapping case) should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The state government cannot conduct a proper probe in such cases,” he said. “The state is trying to pressure me because I had exposed the scam of transfer in the state police force…I have more proofs with me, which I will hand over to the CBI only. I will cooperate with the Mumbai police in tomorrow’s probe as well,” he said.