A Raja seeks judicial proceedings through video-conferencing

Wary of being transported with hardcore undertrials in a crowded jail van, former Telecom Minister A Raja today moved a Delhi court seeking to conduct judicial proceedings through video-conferencing in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.

In an application filed before Special CBI Judge O P Saini, through senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, Raja said that he be allowed to appear before the court via video-conferencing.

The court, however, had put the matter for hearing on Raja's plea for tomorrow.

The CBI, meanwhile, apprised the court about Raja's role in allegedly favouring Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd despite serious issues being raised by the concerned section pointing out its ineligibility.

The investigating agency said that Raja and former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura ignored the issues raised regarding the verification of eligibility conditions of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd and "dishonestly approved" its file on January 9, 2008 for issuance of Letters of Intent for 13 telecom circles.

Raja is presently in Tihar Jail under judicial custody till March 3 along with Swam Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, Siddhartha Behura and his personal secretary R K Chandolia, in connection with their alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Raja was arrested along with Behura and Chandolia on February 2 while Balwa was taken into custody on February 8.

The court had recently dismissed the bail plea of Balwa and Chandolia saying they are "high ranking public servants" and "influential" who may tamper with the probe.

The probe agency had lodged an FIR on October 21, 2009 against some unnamed persons in the case, and arrested Raja and others under various provisions of the IPC dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Though the agency has pegged the loss due to spectrum allocation at Rs 22,000 crore based on the calculations made by the CVC, the CAG had in its report projected a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore.