2G case: Court to commence recording of statements of accused

A special CBI court in New Delhi is likely to commence on Monday the recording of statements of the accused, including former Telecom Minister A. Raja, in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Special CBI judge O.P. Saini, who had earlier supplied the draft questionnaire containing 1,718 questions running into 824 pages to the 17 accused, including Mr. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG), had fixed the matter for Monday.

The special court, constituted to deal exclusively with the 2G scam related cases, is also scheduled to start on Monday the recording of statements of the accused, including promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom, facing trial in a case arising out of the probe into the radiowave scam.

In the case involving the promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom, the court had given a questionnaire to the eight accused having 645 questions each and running into 308 pages.

CBI had filed charge sheet against them, alleging they had cheated the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) by using Loop Telecom as a “front” to secure 2G licences in 2008.

Essar Group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan, her husband I.P. Khaitan and Essar Group Director (Strategy and Planning) Vikash Saraf are facing trial in the case along with three firms — Loop Telecom Ltd., Loop Mobile India Ltd. and Essar Tele Holding Ltd.

All of them have denied the charges levelled by CBI in the case, arising out of the probe into the 2G spectrum scam.

In the case involving Mr. Raja and 16 others, the court had on November 27 last year concluded recording of prosecution evidence after deposition of CBI’s Superintendent of Police Vivek Priyadarshi, the chief investigating officer, got over.

The court had recorded statements of 153 CBI witnesses, including Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, his wife Tina Ambani, former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati, running into over 4,400 pages.

Besides Mr. Raja and Ms. Kanimozhi, former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Mr. Raja’s erstwhile private secretary R.K. Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd. MD Sanjay Chandra, RADAG executives — Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair — are facing trial in the case.