The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it did not find any criminality during its inquiry into intercepted conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and several influential persons, ANI reported.

The agency made the statement before a three-judge bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud. The court was hearing a petition by industrialist Ratan Tata seeking the protection of his right to privacy, which he claimed was threatened after the tapes emerged, according to PTI.

Tata, in his petition, had sought action against those allegedly involved in leaking the tapes as the controversy had infringed on his right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

From 2007 to 2009, the Income Tax Department recorded thousands of conversations between Radia and politicians, lawyers, journalists and industrialists. Media reports at the time alleged that the conversations showed that the lobbyist had been influencing alliances and ministerial portfolios in the United Progressive Alliance government.

In 2013, the Supreme Court had said that the conversations indicated deep-rooted malice by private enterprises with the government officials, the Hindustan Times reported. “Interested persons have secured gains from government officers and others which are suggestive of corrupt means being adopted by private parties to extract gains,” it had said.

On Wednesday, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Union government, said that the Central Bureau of Investigation registered 14 preliminary inquiries in connection with the tapes and the report was placed before the Supreme Court in a sealed cover, ANI reported.

“No criminality was found in those,” Bhati said. “Also, now there are phone-tapping guidelines in place.”

The additional solicitor general was referring to the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Justice (retd) KS Puttaswamy case, which held that privacy was a constitutionally protected right.