2G case: A Raja wants to depose as a witness

NEW DELHI: Former telecom minister A Raja, facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, on Wednesday told a trial court that he wished to depose as a witness to defend himself in the trial.

"The applicant (A Raja) wishes to examine himself as a witness in the present trial," Raja told Special CBI Judge OP Saini, seeking summoning of defence witnesses in the case.

Raja sought appearance of SE Rajan, his former personal assistant, as a defence witness. He also wanted to call concerned officers from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Department of Telecom and the law ministry.

The DMK leader sought documents relating to the debates in the Lok Sabha on November 26, 2007, February 22, 2010 and February 21, 2011 to be produced in the court. He said the documents would "rebut the allegation of conspiracy between the accused and to deal with the issue of alleged loss to the exchequer caused by grant of UAS licences and allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008".

Raja requested the court to ask for the press statement given on January 7, 2011 by Kapil Sibal, the then communication and IT minister, on 2G spectrum and the April 12, 2012 Presidential Reference made to the Supreme Court.

The Centre on April 12, 2012 had moved Supreme Court with a Presidential Reference for its opinion on issues arising out of 2G spectrum.

Raja said examination of the witnesses and production of the documents were necessary for his defence.

Some of the other accused in the case also filed their lists of defence witnesses.

Raja is facing trial in the 2G case along with DMK MP Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's former private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and Reliance ADAG executives Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair.