2G case: Framing of charges to be heard on Jul 21

A Delhi court today decided to commence from Thursday arguments on framing of charges in the high-profile 2G case in which former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and several corporate honchos have been charge sheeted by the CBI.

"Arguments on charges shall commence with effect from July 21," Special CBI Judge OP Saini said after the agency and the defence counsel submitted that the supply of documents, annexed with the two charge sheets in the case, has been completed.

The CBI had, in its first charge sheet, accused Raja, and eight other persons as well as three companies of causing a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer.

The companies named in the charge sheet filed in the Delhi court include Reliance Communications, Unitech Wireless and Swan Telecom.

Charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption have been levelled against Raja, his private secretary R K Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa.

Others named in the charge sheet include Vinod Goenka, a director of Mumbai-based DB Realty which was also the promoter of Etisalat DB, Sanjay Chandra, managing director of Gurgaon-based real estate company Unitech and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu), and Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara, the group managing director and senior vice presidents of Mumbai-based Reliance Telecom Company respectively.

In the second charge sheet filed on April 25, the CBI accused Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, of allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with prime accused Raja.

Kanimozhi (43) has been charged under Prevention of Corruption Act for taking illegal gratification through Kalaignar TV -- a channel run by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu-- in which the money related to the 2G scam was allegedly routed.

Besides Kanimozhi, four others--- Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar, Karim Morani, director of Cineyug Media and Entertainment, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa's cousin Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal, who are directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables --- were named in the charge sheet.

The second charge sheet discusses the routing of over Rs 200 crores alleged illegal gratification from M/S Dynamix Realty to Kalaignar TV through M/S Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Ltd and Cineyug Films.