SC won’t stay Ambani summons
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the summons issued by a trial court to leading industrialist Anil Ambani and his wife Tina to appear before it next month for their deposition as prosecution witnesses in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.
After hearing arguments by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Ambani’s firm Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL), a bench of justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan said it would hear further arguments on Thursday before passing any order.
RTL, one of the three companies named as accused in the multi-crore scam case of 2008, contended before the apex court that the trial court has wrongly exercised its power in allowing the CBI plea to make Tina and Anil Ambani, along with 11 others, witnesses in the case. “There is nothing to discover from Anil Ambani. He has already given his statement (to CBI) under section 161 of Code of Criminal Procedure on February 16, 2011. The reason for filing the application (by CBI) is to camouflage its own lacunae. It (CBI) is groping in dark and fishing for something. It is nothing but to cover up its lacunae,” Mr Rohatgi claimed. He termed as “misconceived” the application of the CBI at the fag end of the trial.
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Maran PE over, says CBI
age correspondent
New Delhi, July 29
The CBI has completed its investigations into the “preliminary enquiry” (PE) registered to probe alleged installation of 323 telephone lines at Chennai residence of Dayanidhi Maran during his tenure as communications minister between June 2004 and May 2007.
Sources said the agency, which had registered the PE into allegations in 2011, has now wrapped up its probe and a decision on whether to file a regular case or close the matter would be taken soon by the senior officers of the CBI.
“The CBI has gathered evidence on the basis of which the PE can be converted into a regular case. But a final decision will be taken only after consulting the legal department and senior officers of the agency”, sources said. There are allegations that former communications minister got these phone lines listed in the name of the then chief general manager (CGM) of BSNL, Chennai.
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