Even as the CBI gave a commitment to the Supreme Court to complete investigation into the 2G spectrum scam case in three months, the income-tax department’s CD on the tapping of telephonic conversations of a woman corporate consultant on her alleged lobbying in favour of former telecom minister A. Raja and for some private service providers came under the scrutiny of the top court.
While taking on record CBI’s affidavit, which gave details about the phone tapping of consultant Neera Radia, done with the due permission from the home secretary, a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly commenced hearing on a PIL seeking constant monitoring of the investigation.
The IT CD on conversation of Radia with various persons, including Raja, some other politicians, corporate tycoons and “influential” media functionaries in a bid to seek their help for lobbing with the power that be in favour of Mr Raja and some of the telecom companies and CAG report were earlier taken on record by SC.
Senior advocate K.K. Venugopal engaged by the CBI after the government and the agency had faced several uncomfortable questions from the court, said “we are going to finish the investigation in three months. Within two months we will come to the final conclusion and by March 2011 we will file the chargesheet.”
As the top court pointed out that advocate Prashant Bhushan, who opened arguments on petition of NGO Centre for PIL, was relying on the CAG report now in public domain, Venugopal submitted that the issue before the CBI was entirely different.
However, Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam opposed the court taking note of the CAG report before Parliament has placed it before Public Accounts Committee.
But Mr Bhushan said if the CAG report was not placed before the PAC for months should no further action be taken in the matter.
Meanwhile, CBI in its affidavit gave details about the raids at more than 20 places including 17 corporate houses and some individuals, recovery of 866 documents and examination of voluminous records with the companies raided.
Regarding Radia’s telephone tapping, the CBI said “in December 2009 IT department shared some of the call recordings/extracts with the agency. The complete telephone call recordings, in evidence form, were later handed by IT department to CBI on May 20, 2010 in a portable drive,” the affidavit said.