'CBI probing whether scam threatened country's security'

The CBI has begun probing if the country’s internal security too stood compromised due to the 2G spectrum allocation to ineligible telecom operators during former Telecom Minister A Raja’s tenure, the agency told a Delhi court today.

CBI told Special Judge Pradeep Chaddah it had begun probing the threat to internal security as raised by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, who had come to the court seeking a probe into the scam. Swamy had also sought the court’s direction to appoint him a public prosecutor to help the agency in probing the case and trying the accused.

The agency counsel said the CBI probe was also being monitored by the Supreme Court. The court, however, put up the matter for further hearing on March 17 as Swamy could not appear before it today as he was attending the 2G Spectrum matter in the Supreme Court.

Swamy’s lawyer Tarun Goomber sought exemption for his client from personal appearance for today, which the court allowed. During the last hearing on February 22, the CBI had told the court it was not aware of the threat to national security posed by allocation of 2G spectrum to some telecom firms which subsequently offloaded their shares to global firms with links to Pakistan, an issue raised by Swamy.

“We (CBI) are not aware of the details of national security aspect as raised by Swamy in his application as a copy of the complaint by him is not available with us,” the CBI had told the court.