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Employees walk past an Essar Group logo outside their headquarters in Mumbai May 20, 2013. India's Economic Times newspaper said the Essar Group conglomerate would sign a financial agreement with China's China Development Bank and China's largest oil and gas producer PetroChina Company during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's trip to India. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS LOGO ENERGY POLITICS)
The Home Ministry will seek legal opinion on the issue of alleged tapping of telephone conversations of some top industrialists and politicians by the Essar Group before ordering a probe into it, a senior official said on Monday.
The Prime Minister's Office has forwarded to the Home Ministry a complaint of lawyer Suren Uppal alleging that the Essar Group had ordered its former security chief Albasit Khan to tap into its business rivals' telephone conversations during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
There are a few issues which need to be clarified like whether there is anything actionable on illegal telephone tapping, was there any violation of the Indian Telegraph Act and does anyone, whose phone was tapped, have to file a complaint or whether the government has to suo motu order an investigation, the official said.
To get a clarity of all these issues, the Home Ministry will seek legal opinion, the sources said, adding the matter will be discussed with Home Minister Rajnath Singh to chalk out the course of future action.
The complaint was received today from the PMO in which a complainant incorporated call logs for purported conversations of Mukesh and Anil Ambani with Directors/Promoters of the two companies and other senior officials as well as conversations that show how business rivals reach out to politicians to seek favours.
The complaint also mentioned purported conversations of senior officials of the Vajpayee PMO, former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra and the then Prime Minister's foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya.
The name of present Home Secretary Rajiv Mehreshi, who was posted in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs also figures among the officers whose phones were allegedly tapped.
The exterior seating area of the restaurant features memorable lines of dialogue from Salman Khan's movies. Examples include "Swagat nahi karoge aap hamara" from Dabangg 2 (2012) and "Dosti ki hai, nibhaani toh padegi" from Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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The interiors have been designed by people who are also die-hard Sallu fans, with a lot of attention to detail. For example, certain tables are made completely out of turquoise bracelets, the kind the superstar never leaves home without. (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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Salman Khan appreciates Moroccan themes in decor and Spanish tiles. Which is why the owners of Bhaijaanz have tried to create an ambience that he would approve of. (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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To give patrons the true 'Salman Khan fanboy' experience, Bhaijaanz boasts of an actual recreation (above) of the superstar's iconic balcony at Galaxy Apartments (below), from where he often waves out to his fans on the street. (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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Paying tribute to Salman's love for cycling, the chandeliers in the restaurant are made from cycle chains and wheels. (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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The signage for the restaurant, located at the front, is a 17 by 22 ft infinity mirror, with the name written across it. Perhaps it's a hat-tip to Bhai's 'infinite' appeal? (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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This one is perhaps the most elaborate tribute of them all. As part of the decor, the owners have hung up 147 bank-notes (one for each film Salman has done) all around the restaurant. The serial numbers of all these notes are release dates of every Salman film ever (including his upcoming film, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo), birth dates of everyone close to him, and license plate numbers of every vehicle he owns. (credit:Rahul Kanal)
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Given the star's love for art, the entire restaurant has paintings of the superstar created by Bandra-based Rohan Joglekar, who is also a huge fan. One of the many paintings at the establishment is this: a 5 X 4 watercolour on canvas that depicts Salman as the incredible Hulk, a popular Marvel Comics character. (credit:Bhaijaanz Facebook page)
-- This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which
closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions
or concerns about this article, please contact
indiasupport@huffpost.com.