New Delhi, March 1 (IANS) The Supreme Court will hear in mid-March a plea for a probe into the role of P. Chidambaram, then the finance minister, in the pricing of 2G spectrum when A. Raja was the telecommunications minister.
Counsel Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for petitioner Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) and mentioned the matter, told the apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya that its application has now been numbered and pleaded for its early listing.
The court told Bhushan that CPIL application has been listed and would come up for hearing after Holi break. The court will resume March 12. The Holi is celebrated March 8, and the court would be closed the following week-end.
The CPIL in its application pleaded for direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) “to conduct a thorough investigation into the role of the finance ministry under the then finance minister (Chidambaram) in the 2G spectrum scam…, under the close supervision of the Supreme Court, assisted by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the senior vigilance commissioner”.
The CPIL contended that Chidambaram was also involved in fixing the 2G licence prices and thus was as much culpable as Raja was in the 2G scam.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has estimated a presumptive loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer because of Raja’s first-come-first-served policy for allocating 2G spectrum to telecom service providers.
The CPIL said the “actions of Chidambaram led to massive loss to the public exchequer and a corresponding gain to a few private companies and individuals, and those decisions were also detrimental to the public interest”.
It held that Chidambaram had “clearly abused his position to benefit private parties” which was an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Justifying its plea for the court monitoring of CBI probe, with the assistance of the CVC, the petition said that the “reluctance of the CBI in investigating the role of or even questioning the then finance minister is not surprising because as home minister Chidambaram is a very powerful figure in the central government…”
The CPIL alleged that most of the officers of the CBI were of Indian Police Service cadre whose appointments, transfers, appraisal reports and promotions were controlled by the home ministry.
The application alleged that as the then finance minister, Chidambaram overruled the officers of the finance ministry who favoured auction/market-based pricing of the spectrum.
The petition alleged that by overruling the finance ministry officers, Chidambaram allowed telecom companies to make a killing.
The CPIL has contended that the facts that have now come on record merit a thorough investigation into the role of the finance ministry and Chidambaram in the 2G scam.
Chidamnbram allowed the telecom companies to sell off their stakes illegally, the petition alleged.
