Former Telecom Minister A Raja, Kanimozhi, 15 Others Acquitted in 2G Spectrum Case: 10 Points

[KapitaanAli]

Spectrum Case: 10 Points
2G Spectrum Scam Verdict: The 2G scam was among the major corruption scandals that came to light during the second term of the UPA government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh. It provided fuel to the opposition charges of corruption against the government.
All India | Reported by A Vaidyanathan, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Updated: December 21, 2017 16:42 IST

Story Highlights

• Court said there was no evidence available against any of the accused
• Ms Kanimozhi told reporters: "Justice has prevailed."
• A Raja was accused of giving airwaves, licences in exchange of kickbacks

New Delhi: Former telecom minister A Raja and M Kanimozhi of the DMK and 15 others were acquitted today of charges in what was described as India's biggest telecom scandal, the "2G scam". "A huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none...some people created a scam by artfully arranging a few selected facts and exaggerating things beyond recognition to astronomical levels," judge OP Saini said, declaring that investigators "miserably failed" to prove that Mr Raja, along with officials from companies that won the licenses for telecom services, had conspired to receive kickbacks from the sale of phone permits, causing a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the government. The case became the centerpiece of allegations of egregious corruption on then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's watch. The CBI said the agency will challenge the order in the High Court.
Here are the top 10 updates in the 2G scam case verdict:

1. Days after the bitterly fought Gujarat and Himachal elections and in the middle of the winter session of parliament, the judgement has caused a political quake. The Congress, including Manmohan Singh, called the ruling a vindication of their government, but the ruling BJP stressed that the Supreme Court had in 2012 accepted that there was corruption and cancelled all 122 licenses handed out by Mr Raja.
   
   
2. This morning, after some delay over a large crowd that made it difficult for the 17 accused to enter the court, the judge took just a few moments to pronounce the verdict, reading out the operative part: "I have no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove the charges and all the accused are acquitted of the charges."
   
   
3. A Raja, who had defended himself in court and cross-examined all the witnesses, was in tears. So were his wife and other family members. The former minister spent nearly one year in prison after his arrest in 2011.
   
   
4. M Kanimozhi, the daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, told NDTV: "Justice has prevailed." For the DMK, the court decision means political resurrection. The party has never been able to shake off the 2G taint and has also suffered in elections.
   
   
5. The "2G" trial began in 2011, a year after the national auditor alleged that there had been massive irregularities in the allocation of second generation or 2G licences when Mr Raja was minister. The auditor, Vinod Rai, said licences were given to telecom operators in 2007-2008 at throwaway prices without a free and fair bidding process.
   
   
6. Top Congress leaders said the verdict proved that the allegations of massive corruption against the party-led government were unfounded. "Our zero loss theory on 2G spectrum allocation has been vindicated," said former minister Kapil Sibal.
   
   
7. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley shot back: "That this was a corrupt, dishonest policy was upheld by the Supreme Court in February 2012. Each and every case of spectrum allocation was quashed by the Supreme Court as unfair and arbitrary."
   
   
8. Named along with Mr Raja in the scandal were the promoters and top executives of some of India's best-known telecoms including the one owned by Anil Ambani's conglomerate.
   
   
9. The CBI had alleged that a telecom company paid Rs 200 crore in bribe to Mr Raja, which was deposited in a TV channel in Chennai part-owned by by Kanimozhi, the daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi.
   
   
10. Last month, speculation swirled around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to M Karunanidhi at his home in Chennai. Analysts wondered whether the meeting was intended to signal that the DMK is not a pariah for the BJP, which has been exploring avenues to expand its slim presence in Tamil Nadu.
    

 

[KapitaanAli]

So the main reason not to vote for Congress in 2014 election has been demolished.
The "development" reason to vote for BJP was always a jumla and based on Photoshop anyway.
Even after ten years of magnificent economic performance, we elected a jumla govt because media told us to.

Lol. Politics.
I'm not even a Congress person, but Damn.
Either they're innocent, or BJP struck a deal with DMK for next election.

 

[rishav]

So the main reason not to vote for Congress in 2014 election has been demolished.
The "development" reason to vote for BJP was always a jumla and based on Photoshop anyway.
Even after ten years of magnificent economic performance, we elected a jumla govt because media told us to.

Lol. Politics.
I'm not even a Congress person, but Damn.
Either they're innocent, or BJP struck a deal with DMK for next election.

commonwealth scam ? coal scam ?
"Even after ten years of magnificent economic performance" lmao never go full retard . what economic development ?
was any economic reform done by the congress government ?
how much did they invest in the railways ?
north eastern states connectivity ?
any focus on development of waterways ?
how much worth contracts did they award for the important DFCs ?
don't spew useless rants