An appeal for a day-to-day hearing in the 2G scam, in which former telecom minister A Raja was acquitted five years ago, has been turned down by the Delhi High Court. In its petition, the Central Bureau of Investigation had requested that a decision in the case be taken soon as 2G case is of matter of great public importance.
Earlier this week, A Raja demanded a probe into the recent auction of 5G spectrum bands.
In its application, the CBI told the court that trial court judgments are often cited by people.
“Certain persons have initiated claims and /or likely to be initiating claims against Union of India, which has put UOI in a hugely vulnerable position at the cost of taxpayers money,” read the plea filed by the CBI’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar.
“2G Spectrum Scam Case” has great public importance and involves probity in public life and issues of integrity amongst public officials, having national and international ramifications, early disposal of the said appeals is in the interest of justice,” it added.
The agency’s request, however, failed to convince the court, which disposed of the application, listing the appeals for hearing on September 22 and 23.
In its order, the court said the CBI demanded “a schedule be fixed for arguments on application for leave to appeal… But the matter is listed today… Hence, there is no use to take up the application”.
A minister in the earlier UPA government, A Raja, the prime accused in 2G scam, has accused Centre of rigging in the recent 5G spectrum auction.
The DMK leader said that the 5G spectrum should have been sold at a cost of Rs 5 lakh crore as claimed by the Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Instead, the spectrum auction was done for Rs 1.5 lakh crore only, and therefore there is a huge scam in it, he claimed.
He compared the amount with the Rs 1.76 crore raised in the 2G auction as calculated by the central auditor CAG, and declared as 5G has more spectrum, it should have fetched more for the government.
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