SC raps CBI for 'slipshod' 2G scam probe

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has rapped the Central Bureau of Investigation for its “slipshod” investigation into the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

“You ( CBI) have not done anything. The matter is serious. The same minister ( telecom minister A Raja) is still continuing today. Is that the way the government functions? Do you follow the same standards in respect of everyone? One year has (already) gone by,” said a comprising Justice G S Singhvi and Justice A K Ganguly.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) had in January, 2008, allocated 2G spectrum at the price level of 2001, on a first-come-first-served basis, allegedly causing loss of thousand of crores to the public exchequer. The matter is under investigation of CBI.

The court pulled up the investigation agency when CBI’s counsel and additional solicitor-general Haren Raval sought six months to complete the probe. “It’s (investigation) only slipshod. You are dragging your feet,” SC said.
Mr Raval was trying to convince the bench that the enormity, complexity and volume of the documents involved in the issue required time to complete the investigation.

“We have so many phone calls to examine,” Mr Raval said. To maintain continuity, the investigation is being carried out in right earnest and senior officials of competence are conducting the investigations into all aspects of the matter, he said. At this point, the bench shot back, “will it take another 10 years?”

The ASG then replied, the investigation will be completed in six months. After this, the bench wanted to know about the response to the draft reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General ( CAG), which had pointed out that the scam on 2G spectrum allocation caused a loss of Rs 1.4 lakh crore to the exchequer.

Earlier, the court sought response of the Centre on such report. Senior counsel and former solicitor-general T R Andhyarujina on behalf of Mr Raja said the response to the CAG report has been given by DoT.

The court adjourned the matter to November 15 as solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium was not present due to ill health. The bench said it will hold a thorough hearing when Mr Subramanium appears before the court on the next date and it would like to have answers to some of the questions.

According to petitioner Subhramanian Swamy DoT had awarded 122 Universal Access Service (UAS) licenses with spectrum on a first-com-first-served basis at the rate of Rs 1,658.57 crore at a price discovered in the auction of spectrum in the year 2001.

By 2008, though the value of spectrum had multiplied manifold, the government got a total of Rs 9.014 crore as license fee from the 122 licensees causing a loss of Rs 70,000 crores to the exchequer, it said.