Top PMO officials to depose before PAC

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigating the 2G spectrum scam has decided to seek the deposition of the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary T K A Nair, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and Director of Enforcement Arun Mathur.

This will be the first time the PAC will seek the representation of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the 2G spectrum allocation probe.

The PAC today questioned J Gopikrishnan, a journalist with an English daily. Sources in the PAC told Business Standard the depositions and materials received so far make it “necessary” for the committee to hear the versions of the three top officers.

The PAC, headed by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, however, has not taken a call yet to seek Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appearance before the committee. The dates of summoning Nair, Chandrasekhar and Mathur have not been finalised.

Sources in the committee said the PMO has already submitted 4,000 pages of material. As there was a lot of communication between the PMO and the telecom ministry during the 2G allocation process, the PAC wants to question the PM’s principal secretary.

Chandrasekhar had been serving as the cabinet secretary when the files moved to the Cabinet and decisions were taken on the 2G allocation. The ED is probing the 2G issue along with the CBI. Therefore, the version of the investigating agency will be sought.

The term of the present committee will end in April. But members of the PAC feel it will not be possible for them to wrap up the entire proceedings during its tenure. The 2G probe is likely to spill over to the next committee. However, some members of the current PAC want to finish the job before the end of April.