2G Scam: Supreme Court Quashes 122 Licences issued in 2008

[csmart 472]

A raja has been arrested finally. its all over the net...

2G scam: CBI arrests former telecom minister A Raja - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former Telecom minister A Raja was today arrested along with his two former associates in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

Raja arrived at the CBI headquarters this morning, a day after his brother A K Perumal was questioned by the CBI about alleged funding of some front organisations owned by Telecom companies which had been allocated spectrum from October 2007 to January 2008, official sources said.

Raja, his former personal secretary R K Chandolia and former Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura were arrested for allegedly abusing their official position and manipulating the tendering procedures to benefit certain telecom companies in getting the spectrum.

The arrest of 47-year-old Raja, who has been questioned four times by the agency, comes over two months after he was forced to resign in the wake of the spectrum controversy.

Raja, who was questioned earlier on December 24 and 25 last year and January 31, was called to the CBI office this morning and quizzed before being arrested, the sources said.

The DMK MP had been confronted with some questions and documents recovered from the computers seized during searches conducted by the investigation agency earlier at his premises, the sources said.

He was also asked about his conversations with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and the reasons for advancing the cut-off date of applying for license for spectrum allocation in 2007 by a week.

Raja was forced to resign on November 14 last year in the wake of the CAG report which held that the spectrum allocation at undervalued prices resulted in a notional loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer.

He got the telecom portfolio on May 18, 2007 and was re-elected as a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha and continued as Telecom Minister from May 31, 2009, till November 14, 2010.

The Supreme Court has asked CBI and Enforcement Directorate to submit status reports on their investigations into the 2G spectrum case to it by February 10 when the case will come up for further hearing.

In its FIR, CBI mentioned the loss in spectrum allocation as Rs 22,000 crore based on CVC findings which had referred the case to it.

CBI has also questioned former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chief Pradip Baijal, a 1966 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, and former Telecom Secretary D S Mathur in connection with the case.

Source

[ani_meher 42]

Countdown begins till bail....

[HetalDP 947]

Bail is more easily available then Packet of Cigarette

[sgiitk 32]

Das gut.

[digitalnirvana 646]

Will the money taken be returned else this is also scam arrest with no value.

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

This is another just drama showing Congress is divine and force DMK to give more seats in the coming election...

[pasumark 51]

Rightly said.

These politicians work only keeping elections in mind. With TN elections around the corner, we will see more drama.

[Honest 836]

Raja arrest an instance of law taking its own course: Cong

The Economic Times l 2 Feb l New Delhi

Congress today said the arrest of former Telecom Minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum allocation scam was a case of law taking its own course.

"Congress had said earlier also that all such cases should be investigated and enquired properly and law will take its own course," AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters.

He dismissed as a "silly judgement" a question whether the arrest of a former Minister in the UPA government showed that the dispensation was corrupt.

"I am not bound to answer such silly judgement," he said. In reply to a question, he said the development would not have any bearing on the relations between the Congress and DMK, to which Raja belongs.

[Honest 836]

Raja's arrest too little too late: BJP

The Economic Times l 2 Feb l New Delhi

BJP today dubbed the arrest of former Telecom Minister A Raja as "too little too late" and demanded that others involved in the 2G spectrum scam should also be brought to book.

"The arrest is too little too late. It is very unfair to say that Raja alone had gulped Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Who are the rest of the people? BJP categorically wants to know that," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

He said Raja's arrest was just beginning of an exercise. "Please don't give credit to the government for the arrest. Government has to answer many questions before this finally comes to an end," he said.

[digitalnirvana 646]

He dismissed as a "silly judgement" a question whether the arrest of a former Minister in the UPA government showed that the dispensation was corrupt.

^

Of course why would any sane person ask such a "silly" question? They should know without asking that the entire political clan is corrupt. 1 lakh 76 thousand crores. Would have solved the nation's food problems, infrastructure problems, education problems, but why would politicans think about that, it is "silly" to think like that. We need an Egypt like revolt. Pity India is too big and too many region divisions, the politicians know that.

[Honest 836]

We need an Egypt like revolt.

^^^

I second that. Now its too much.....Scams, Scams and only Scams.....!

[commonman 228]

This is another just drama showing Congress is divine and force DMK to give more seats in the coming election...

Absolutely. Let them arrest the CWG committee who spent Rs.1600 cr and siphoned off a major part of it and also those of the Delhi Govt who spent Rs.30000 Cr in the name of CWG related infrastructure and siphoned off even more (they must have taken more than the full CWG committee spending itself).

At least Suresh Kalmadi & Co. got the brickbats. The bigger thieves of the Delhi Govt are still at large.

[Karthik R 246]

CBI is reported to be probing the 'favours' shown to licencees, foremost to – Swan Telecom - in which Reliance teleservices had a stake.

[raccoon 53]

Raja's arrest too little too late: BJP

The Economic Times l 2 Feb l New Delhi

He said Raja's arrest was just beginning of an exercise. "Please don't give credit to the government for the arrest. Government has to answer many questions before this finally comes to an end," he said.

Where does the question of any credit even arise? Assuming that these shenanigans are remotely authentic, the credit at most goes to the SC, which has been putting pressure on the CBI. On the other hand even the PM had kept on giving clean chits to Mr. Scam Raja through the last several months despite several instances of the issues being brought to his notice. I don't know if the PM is remotely as clean as some people assume him to be, but what I know is that it is not just he who is guilty of wrongdoings who is in the wrong, but more so he who allows it to happen right under his nose.

But I don't see enough fingers being pointed to at the PM. Why?

[kesav 127]

DMK backs Raja, says arrest doesn't make him guilty

Chennai, Feb 3 (IANS) Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK Thursday came out in support of its former communications minister A. Raja and said his arrest in the 2G spectrum allocation scam did not make him guilty.

The party's all-powerful General Council met here and passed a resolution condemning the opposition for blowing the spectrum scam out of proportion. It said the arrest of a person does not necessarily make him guilty.

Raja, also the DMK's propaganda secretary, and two of his aides were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi Wednesday for their role in the controversial allocation of airwaves for second generation (2G) telecom services.

Raja was forced to resign Nov 14 last year after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) indicted him in the scam and for causing losses between Rs.58,000 crore ($12.8 billion) and Rs.1.76 lakh crore ($40 billion) to the exchequer.

The DMK, a key ally of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the centre, Wednesday maintained a studied silence on the arrest with no leaders willing to comment on the matter.

Karunanidhi had earlier said action would be taken against Raja if he was proven guilty.

The General Council also passed a resolution calling for a new agreement with Sri Lanka giving rights to Indian fishermen to fish near Katchatheevu -- the islet that was given to the island nation in the 1970s.

source :: http://www.sify.com/news/dmk-backs-raja-says-arrest-doesn-t-make-him-guilty-news-national-lcdokigiebb.html

[sgiitk 32]

Sibbal had claimed that there was no loss to the exchequer. So how will he explain the arrest of Raja.

[kesav 127]

Still Sibal's claim of "NIL" loss actually holds good.

CAG's hypothetical figures remain notional till date.

Raja's arrest is purely for procedural irregularity of changing 'first come first serve' to 'first pay first serve' thus helping some companies to jump the rest in the queue.

[kesav 127]

Raja suffering for good deeds: Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Putting up a stout defence of former Telecom Minster A Raja arrested in 2g spectrum scam case, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said he was suffering in jail only because he helped mobile phone facilities reach the poor and downtrodden and played the caste card.

Likening Raja to King Mahabali of Kerala, Karunanidhi told a public meeting here that the Hindu mythology had it that Mahabali had to suffer for the good things he did for the people and due to the upper caste people.

''Like that, Raja, a Dalit, had made available mobile telephony services at affordable cost to the poor. He is suffering for that now,'' he said in his first remarks on the arrest of Raja projected as the party's Dalit face.

The opposition parties had targeted Raja and DMK because they formed the pillar of the "downtrodden or Shudras", he said addressing a rally here in a virtual launch of the party's campaign for coming assembly polls.

Karunanidhi indicated that the main thrust of the campaign would be performance and development.

Having a dig at Left Front government in West Bengal, he said the 'human injustice' of a man pulling a rickshaw still continued in the streets of Kolkata while his government had as early as in 1971 abolished them and replaced with cycle-rickshaws.

Likewise, his government had introduced several schemes during the past five years but the "flag ship" programme of his government was the Kalaignar Housing Scheme aimed at making Tamil Nadu a hut-free state.

"Do not have any doubt about the scheme. We will remain in power and implement it fully,'' he said.

He also had a dig at the media when he charged a section of them with carrying "malicious reports" against DMK "in a bid to oust" his government.

source :: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/raja-suffering-for-good-deeds-karuna/articleshow/7421114.cms

[Honest 836]

Raja, aides in five-day police custody

The Economic Times l 3 Feb l New Delhi

Former communications minister A. Raja and two of his aides were sent to five-day custody by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court Thursday, a day after they were arrested in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

Special CBI judge O.P. Saini said the plea for the custody of Raja, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura and personal secretary R.K. Chandolia was "justified".

While allowing the CBI plea for five-day police custody, Saini said: "The allegation against the accused are that they allotted the unified access service licences in violation of rules and procedures and caused huge loss estimated to be Rs.22,000 crore to the government."

"The allegation against the trio are very serious on the face of it and required no elaboration. Accordingly, considering the nature of the allegation, seriousness and gravity of offences, there is a consequent need of interrogation of the accused persons," he added.

"The prayer of police custody is justified and all three accused are accordingly remanded to police custody till Feb 8," Saini said.

All accused persons will be medically examined every 48 hours and their counsel and family members will be allowed to meet them for half an hour everyday at a time convenient to both the parties, Saini said.

The court, in the Patiala House court premises, also permitted Behura to be taken to the Indraprastha Apollo hospital Feb 5 to meet his wife before and after her operation, if she undergoes one.

Raja quit Nov 14 after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) indicted him for irregularities in the allocation of second generation (2G) spectrum to telecom companies causing massive losses to the exchequer.

[csmart 472]

Raja suffering for good deeds: Karunanidhi

.....

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

karunanidhi wants to win election and this way he is trying to get sympathy votes.. wht will happen to our netas?? Supreme Court shoould also stop this using him till the verdict is out...

i thought it was Pramod Mahajan who made telecom affordable. remember, he favor RCOM and after which rates dropped like anything...

sorry n tnhx amit... edited

Edited February 4, 2011 by csmart

[amit.shah 51]

i thought it was Pravin Mahajan who made telecom affordable. remember, he favor RCOM and after which rates dropped like anything...

seems some typo here.. the telecom minister was Pramod Mahajan.. whereas Pravin Mahajan was his brother who killed him...

[kesav 127]

i thought it was Pramod Mahajan who made telecom affordable.

Leaving out the stories on who favored who....

The tariff become affordable mainly because of Raja and then some extent due to Maran.

The credit for affordable tariff must go to them.

Shourie, Mahajan, Maran or Raja. In my opinion each one had their own favorite big telecom corporate.

Why they had their favorite?

Who funds big parties like BJP, Congress and DMK?

Both have identical answer.

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

Tariff became cheap due to competition.... BSNL got worst because of raja... Etisalat got spectrum for huge cost (for few circles from swan) because of raja.. S-Tel was interrupted by raja (remember security clearance drama).. CDMA players getting less spectrum comparing GSM, because of raja...

Well, raja has done million times more harm to Indian Telecom than anything good... Even the few good things done by him for us is anyways un-intentional and a side-effect of his daylight robbery... PERIOD

[kesav 127]

Intentional or unintentional...that's a different story.....

The relevance here is tenure. The best tenure as for as tariff is concerned it's Raja's . No one can deny it.

BSNL's poor show, STEL arm-twisting are the bad points I can agree with you.

Loss to exchequer is purely welfare-revenue trade off. I can never support revenue maximization against service afford-ability.

CDMA players getting less spectrum than GSM. It's purely mistakes of Mahajan & Maran. In Raja's tenure many such mistakes were corrected and the policy gap reduced.

Although TRAI is brain behind all the best tariff moves in the industry but still you need a minister to accept and implement those recommendations against the strong cartel which was hell bend on removing the minister.

Kanaga, you know better than anyone about that cartel.

Edited February 4, 2011 by kesav

[Karthik R 246]

Violation of spectrum policy began in '03: Sibal

NEW DELHI: Telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Friday released excerpts of the findings of the Shivraj Patil one-man committee (OMC) report on the 2G spectrum scam, dragging the NDA too into the list of alleged wrongdoers and policy violators.

While no names were divulged, the summary presented by Sibal concludes that "the decisions taken by DoT in respect of grant of UASL licences (bundled with spectrum), right from 2003 onwards and including the actions in 2007-8, were neither consistent with the decisions of the Union Cabinet dated October 31, 2003 nor the recommendations of TRAI".

According to Sibal, 25 specific instances of deviation, inappropriate application and violation of underlying principles of laid down procedure have been found between 2001 and 2009 -- the period that the committee was asked to examine. In addition, 15 specific instances of lack of fairness and transparency in procedure adopted by the DoT in granting licences and allotment of spectrum have been documented.

"The entire report will be shared with investigation agencies to determine culpability of all public servants involved in the grant of licences/spectrum between 2001 and 2009," Sibal said.

The OMC has also done what the UPA has stoically refused to do so far, acknowledge the TRAI`s "suo moto recommendations of October 27, 2003, which said that additional players should be introduced through a multi-stage bidding process, was also accepted by the Union Cabinet on October 31, 2003".

A total of 208 UASL licences have been issued since 2003, of which 51 were issued between January 2004 and March 2007. Former telecom minister A Raja alone issued another 157 licences.

Of the 51 licences issued before Raja, Arun Shourie issued 26 licences during the NDA's term while Dayanidhi Maran awarded 25 after the UPA came to power in May 2004.

The UPA also issued 180 out of the total 208 licences after it introduced fresh 28-page UASL guidelines and application forms on December 14, 2005.

The OMC does point to the fact that the December 2005 UASL guidelines were "ambiguous regarding preferential shares in calculation of substantial equity". It is unclear why the UPA did not correct the wrongdoings of the NDA especially since it issued fresh guidelines for issuance of UASL in December 2005 - 18 months after being voted to office.

The OMC also found that Raja`s decisions of January 2008 regarding change of first-come-first-served (FCFS) definition "was not in tune with extant policy". Yet it has no finding regarding the fact that Raja claimed to have implemented the "no cap" recommendation of the TRAI while in fact placing a cap by selectively awarding 122 LoIs out of 575 applications, which the Delhi High Court in 2009 has found illegal in relation to a petition filed by S Tel.

The report finds Raja`s arbitrary advancement of the cutoff date "not traceable either to powers vested in terms of any procedure laid out or satisfies the requisites of law, in particular, the principles of objectivity, fairness of transparency".

Courtesy : Times of India