Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 30, 2011
URL: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-30/india/30229921_1_auction-2g-spectrum-spectrum-scam-telecom-minister
The Supreme Court on Thursday gave a thumbs
down to the "zero loss" estimate of the 2G spectrum scam by Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
CBI counsel, senior advocate K K Venugopal,
told a bench of Justice G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly that the agency had objected
to the unsolicited cover note from the telecom regulator giving a "zero
loss" estimate of the irregular allotment of spectrum, which was pegged
by the CBI at Rs 30,000 crore. The bench said, "Nobody will be influenced
by these documents."
Venugopal said the CBI had written to Trai,
saying the regulator's estimate was unacceptable because it had not considered
several important things relating to the allocation of spectrum. "But
the agency has not yet received a response from Trai," he said.
In another case relating to spectrum, the
CBI told the apex court that jailed former telecom minister A Raja dodged
past then finance minister P Chidambaram's insistence to auction 2G spectrum.
Opposing Subramanian Swamy's application
seeking a CBI probe into Chidambaram's alleged role in the pricing of spectrum,
Venugopal said Raja moved surreptitiously to pre-empt opposition from the
then finance minister to his decision to give away spectrum at 2001 prices.
The finance ministry had decided to press for auction of spectrum in the telecom
commission meeting scheduled for January 9, 2008, he said.
"Then finance minister and finance secretary
Subbarao had gone into the whole matter and prepared a position note on January
7, 2008 to press for auction route for the January 9 meeting. But Raja rescheduled
the meeting for January 15, jumped the gun and issued letters of intent to
his favourite telecom companies on January 10," Venugopal said.
