As the Supreme Court resumes its hearing in the crucial 2G spectrum scam case on Monday, all eyes would be on it to see what stand the top court would take on the CAG report and the income tax CD on secret conversations recorded by it as both these documents had been taken on record.
The secret recording of political scandals and scams is now not new in Indian politics but the difference this time is that all other such sting operations in the past were carried by private persons, except in the “Amar Singh” tapes, which was done by the Delhi police.
But the former Samajwadi Party leader had succeeded in getting a stay from the Supreme Court on the publication of the transcript of the CD and also on it being broadcast and telecast.
In the wake of the IT CD in which alleged “power broker” Niira Radia purportedly figures prominently lobbying for the appointment of A. Raja as a Cabinet minister in the UPA-II on its return to power in 2009 with making every efforts with various “influential persons”, including those holding prominent positions in certain media houses, the CD would “certainly prove” to be a crucial evidence as happened in the “Tehelka” expose on defence deals during the NDA regime, the legal experts feel.
Since the entire conversation this time was recorded by the I-T authorities, which is now in the public domain with its transcripts published by a leading news magazine, “The I-T CD will have stronger evidentiary value than Tehelka tapes as the recording is done by a government probe agency,” a prominent Supreme Court lawyer said, however, refusing to come on record.
Another lawyer, who also wished not to be identified ahead of the top court hearing, pointed out that the Tehelka case got embroiled in a long “procedural wrangle” both before the judicial commission as well as the special court about the “authenticity” of the tapes, which had to be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory again and again for examination.
“The question on the authenticity of the I-T CD will also be raised, which is natural but proving the authenticity of the same will not be as “intricate or cumbersome” as it proved in the Tehelka case as the I-T authorities must have resorted to the recording with a purpose to collect evidence against some persons being tracked by them in the process of their inquiry,” he said.