Court allows CBI to drop ED officer Satyendra Singh as witness in 2G case

NEW DELHI: A special court has allowed CBI to drop Enforcement Directorate's Assistant Director Satyendra Singh as a prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.

The order assumes importance as Singh was earlier included as an additional CBI witness after stiff opposition from the counsel for all the 2G case accused and the court overruling their objection.

Today, the court's order came after CBI's prosecutor contended that the agency does not wish to examine Singh, who was earlier permitted to be examined as an additional witness in this case.

Singh, along with four others including another ED officer Rajeshwar Singh, were allowed by the court to be examined as additional CBI witnesses in the 2G case in which former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi along with 15 others are facing trial.

Regarding the two ED officers, the court had noted that they investigated the transaction of Rs 200 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and must have come across certain facts relevant to this case, which cannot be prejudged or appreciated in advance.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini said that Satyendra Singh, Assistant Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED), was permitted to be examined as additional witness for the prosecution.

"However, it is submitted by K K Goel, senior public prosecutor for CBI, that prosecution does not wish to examine him. In view of this submission, he is dropped from the list of additional witnesses to be examined by the prosecution," the court said.

The court has now fixed the matter for February 18 for recording statement of last additional witness Rajeshwar Singh, Deputy Director of the ED.

Apart from Rajeshwar Singh and Satyendra Singh, the court had earlier allowed CBI to examine Under Secretary in Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Navil Kapur and D Mani, a bank official from Chennai.

Besides these four persons, the court had also allowed CBI's plea seeking to recall General Manager (Finance) of Kalaignar TV (P) Ltd G Rajendran, who had earlier deposed as a witness in the case, for further examination.