Mobile cos tell court they can't provide call records free

Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) today told the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Court here that it cannot provide call data records (CDR) to the accused of 2006 Mumbai train blasts case free.
The company told the court that its accumulated losses as of May 31, 2012 were Rs 3031.18 crore.
"If the cost of retrieving the CDRs is not allowed to be recovered, then the company which is already incurring huge losses, and ultimately its more than 4.5 lakh shareholders, would have to bear this cost," said Prashant Padvale, Assistant Manager, in an application.
Earlier four mobile service providers -- Vodafone, Loop, Airtel and Tata -- had filed application in the court seeking direction to the accused to pay a total of Rs 34 lakh for retrieving the CDRs.

But the defence lawyers said their clients would not be able to shell out the money, and it would not be in the interests of justice. As the prosecution was relying on CDRs, the defence must get them free, they argued.
Loop also filed an application today saying it is unable to bear the estimated cost of Rs 8 lakh for retrieving CDRs.
Earlier, the MCOCA court had rejected the demand of CDRs. When the accused moved the High Court, it directed the lower court to consider the demand afresh.
Seven coordinated blasts on Mumbai suburban trains on July 11, 2006 killed 188 people and injured 817 others. While ATS has arrested 13 persons, 15 accused are absconding.