Hearing against Mittal, Ruia in 2G case on Dec 10

The special 2G court today fixed December 10 for hearing the additional spectrum case in which Bharti Cellular CMD Sunil Mittal, Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia and others have been summoned as accused.

Special CBI judge O P Saini adjourned the proceedings after the defence counsel informed the court that the pleas filed by Mittal and Ruia, challenging the March 19, 2013 order of the trial court summoning them as accused in the case, are pending before the Supreme Court.

The apex court, in its April 26 last year interim order, had said that hearing against Mittal and Ruia in the case will remain "postponed" in the trial court until further orders.

Mittal, Ruia and Canada-based NRI Asim Ghosh, who was then a Managing Director of accused firm Hutchison Max Telecom Pvt Ltd, were summoned as accused by the trial court.

The court had also summoned former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh, who was named by CBI in the charge sheet as accused in the case along with three telecom firms.

Mittal, Ruia and Asim Ghosh were not named as accused in CBI's charge sheet filed on December 21, 2012 but the court had summoned them as accused while taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the agency.

Besides Shyamal Ghosh, three telecom firms Bharti Cellular Ltd, Hutchison Max Telecom Pvt Ltd (now known as Vodafone India Ltd) and Sterling Cellular Ltd (now known as Vodafone Mobile Service Ltd) are also accused in the case.

CBI, in its charge sheet, had named Shyamal Ghosh and the three telecom companies as accused in the case relating to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) allocating additional spectrum which had allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 846 crore to the exchequer.

In the 57-page charge sheet, CBI has booked Shyamal Ghosh and the three firms for the offences of criminal conspiracy (120-B) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.