Former Telecom Minister A. Raja on Thursday moved a special court seeking a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to produce documents, including a direct inquiry report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) now with the agency, in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Raja filed an application before Special CBI Judge O.P. Saini saying that in 2009, an inquiry was conducted by CVC into the allegations of allotment of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and on October 12, 2009, CVC had forwarded its direct inquiry report to CBI.
He also said CVC had asked CBI to take “necessary action in the matter” and the October 12, 2009 communication of the CVC and its direct inquiry report are in “custody of CBI and have a material bearing on this case and are relevant for the cross-examination of the investigating officers in this matter“.
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“In view of the above, it is respectfully prayed that this court may be pleased to direct the CBI to produce the documents,” Mr. Raja said in his application.
The Court has asked the CBI to file their response, if any, on Mr. Raja’s plea, and listed it for hearing on September 4, 2013.
Besides this, Mr. Raja also moved a separate plea saying that cross-examination of investigating officers (IOs) in the case be deferred till examination of all the IOs are over.
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“It is respectfully submitted that this is most crucial in the case of Vivek Priyadarshi, who has been the main IO since inception of this case till the filing of charge sheets and it is in the interest of fair trial that his cross-examination should take place after the examination-in-chief of the other IOs is complete,” he said.
Raja also said “no prejudice” would be caused to CBI if his application was allowed.
Raja, along with others, including D.M.K MP Kanimozhi is facing trial in the case. Former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja’s erstwhile private secretary R.K. Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra, three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) - Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair - are facing trial in the case.
Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case.
Three telecom companies - Swan Telecom Pvt, Reliance Telecom and Unitech Wireless are also facing trial in the case. They have been arrayed as accused in the first two charge sheets filed by CBI on April 2 and April 25, 2011 respectively.