Radia Tapes: CBI files 4 enquiries, 10 more soon

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday started its probe into four issues in connection with the taped conversations of lobbyist Niira Radia with various high-profile individuals as part of its separate preliminary enquiries (PEs) in 14 related cases.

CBI sources said four PEs covering these issues have been registered on the instructions of the Supreme Court, while the process of initiating the rest 10 inquiries was underway.

The sources said the agency had registered a PE into Radia's conversation with Pradip Baijal, ex-chief of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), allegedly pertaining to his appointment as chairman of the Pipeline Advisory Committee to allegedly favour Reliance Industries.

The agency has named Baijal and Radia in the enquiry, they said.

It has also started a PE into Radia's conversations pertaining to alleged discrepancy in subscriber data base declared by Reliance Communications to BSE and Trai, the sources said, adding the company had been named in the enquiry.

The sources said a PE against Radia, unknown officials of her company Vaishnavi and unknown officials of BHEL had also been registered in connection with the alleged payment of commission for clearing bills from the public sector undertaking. A spokesman of Radia declined to comment.

The agency has also started an enquiry against Vishal Mehta, the then chief executive of Vaishnavi, unknown officials of the Department of Telecommunications and unknown officials of Unitech in connection with the grant of spectrum to Unitech.

The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group had said, "We welcome the independent time-bound enquiries by the CBI, monitored by the Supreme Court, which will clearly establish our bona fide, and once and for all prove beyond doubt we have been the unfortunate victims of a mischievous campaign of calumny and vilification conducted at the behest of our unscrupulous corporate rivals over the past five years."