The MHA has asked the Army to provide details of the off-air-interceptors in its inventory and the force is in the process of formulating a reply in this regard, official sources said here.
The MHA, in its query routed through the Defence Ministry, had wanted to know about such equipment in the army as it is the nodal agency for carrying out an audit of such equipment in the country and its deployment by the respective users, they said.
The off-air-equipment had hit the headlines in March after reports suggested that the Army had used the equipment to tap phones of senior Defence Ministry officials during the controversy over former Army Chief Gen V K Singh's date of birth.
The army had then denied carrying out any interception of phone conversations saying that such equipment was used by agencies such as the Defence Intelligence Agency under the Defence Ministry and the Signal Intelligence Units under it in border and counter insurgency areas.
Only nine agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and the DIA are authorised to tap phone calls.
Since the Army is not in the list of such organisations, the unit under it possessing such equipment may be asked to return it.
