CBI alleges 'delay tactics' by 2G case accused

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday told the Delhi High Court that accused in 2G spectrum allocation case are trying to delay the proceedings on the pretext of not receiving court's notice.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told Justice S.P. Garg that accused were using "delay tactics" as some of them said they had not received any notice from the Delhi High Court, which is hearing appeals from the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a special CBI court verdict acquitting all the accused in the case.

The irregularities in allocation of spectrum caused huge losses to the public exchequer and the case was a shame to the nation, Mehta said.

The court asked all the accused to file response on the plea till August 6, the next date of hearing.

The court was hearing the CBI and ED pleas challenging the special court order that acquitted Raja, Kanimozhi and others in the 2G spectrum money laundering case.

The CBI and ED had filed an appeal against the special court's December 21, 2017, judgement in the case.

Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, the special court had also acquitted 17 others, including DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal, Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka of STPL, Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, film producer Karim Morani, and P. Amirtham and Sharad Kumar of Kalaignar TV.

Former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R.K. Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair -- were also acquitted by the special court.

The ED in its chargesheet had alleged that Rs 2 billion was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to the DMK-run Kalaignar TV.

The CBI had alleged that there was a loss of Rs 309.84 billion to the exchequer in allocation of licences for the 2G spectrum. The allocation was scrapped by the top court on February 2, 2012.

--IANS

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