2G case: NGO under SC scanner

Telecom Watchdog, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), on Wednesday came under the Supreme Court's scanner for allegedly interfering with the probe in the 2G spectrum case by giving clean chit to former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Maran has been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of coercing a Chennai-based promoter to sell his stakes in Aircel to Malaysian firm Axis in 2006. The apex court sought an explanation within seven days from Anil Kumar, secretary of Telecom Watchgdog, for writing a letter to the CBI and publishing an article in a magazine giving a virtual clean chit to Maran.

 

In the letter, he had turned C Sivasankaran, former chairman of Aircel, from a victim to an accused by charging him of cooking the story to extract money from Maxis. "After going through the contents of the letter written to the CBI, Kumar, secretary of the Telecom Watchdog, is directed to show as to under what circumstance he wrote a letter dated February 5, 2012, virtually exonerating Maran and accusing Sivasankaran, who has been shown as victim in earlier applications, within seven days," a bench comprising judges G S Singhvi and K S Radhakrishnan said.

"What prompted him to publish an article when the matter is before us," the bench observed when the CBI alleged such conduct of Kumar amounts to interference with the probe in the 2G spectrum scam.

The bench, which took serious note of Kumar's conduct, said, "The CBI should treat it (letter) as a scrap of paper, which is to be thrown in dustbin."

Telecom Watchdog had jointly filed the petition along with another NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), and a senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.