India's biggest scam trial kicks off today
India's biggest scam trial kicks off today - Hindustan Times
The much-awaited trial in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, arguably the country's biggest corruption scandal involving high-profile politicians, corporate heads and bureaucrats, kicks off on Friday. The special CBI court will start recording statements of 164 witnesses. The three witnesses to be examined on Friday are Reliance ADAG president AN Sethuraman, assistant vice-president of Reliance Capital Ltd Anand Subramaniam and chief regulatory officer of Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd Vinod Kumar Budhiraja.
It comes two years after the CBI filed its FIR in the case, where 2G spectrum licences were issued at throwaway prices to private players in 2008 but pegged at 2001 prices by flouting rules. CAG claimed that due to allotment of 2G licences, government exchequer suffered loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and officials of Reliance ADAG, Unitech Wireless and Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd are among the 14 accused languishing in Tihar jail after being denied bail, owing to the "grave charges" against them. Rest of the 3 accused are companies.
At least 11 out of the first batch of 28 witnesses to be examined in November are from the Reliance, which suggests that the CBI first wants to deal with the charges against group managing director of Reliance ADAG Gautam Doshi, its group president Surendra Pipara and its senior vice-president Hari Nair and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka.
While framing charges, the court had said there was prima facie evidence that the three ADAG officials passed on ineligible firm Swan Telecom to accused Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka of DB Realty Ltd. Reliance has denied all allegations and has challenged before the Delhi HC the framing of charges against its officials.
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