Urging that a Supreme Court-monitored probe should not be ordered in the 2G spectrum allocation case, the CBI on Monday said it was being conducted in a fair manner and that it would soon examine the role of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in the scam of ?enormous magnitude?, and with international ramifications. During the hearing in the case, senior Advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for CBI, submitted before a Bench of Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly, that the agency will complete its investigation and file a chargesheet within three months.
The CBI, in its fresh affidavit, said the telephonic conversation between Radia and others was being examined and she would be called by it for questioning at an ?appropriate time?.
Venugopal said the agency would take two months to finish the investigation as it was examining transcripts relating to 5,000 calls (out of which 3,800 have been analysed), 6,000 files and 80,000 pages of documents. ?Investigation has been carried out in the right earnest and in a fair and impartial manner without even in the slightest manner showing any partiality to any suspect,?? he said.
While admitting that the case in which the FIR was registered against the unknown persons in October 2009 is of ?enormous magnitude?, the CBI said the investigation was ?not merely confined to India alone, but also has ramification in various foreign countries.?
Giving the list of companies whose premises were raided and searched, the affidavit also named big corporates like Unitech Wireless Pvt, STel, Shyam Telelinks, Swan Telecom, Datacom Solution Pvt, Loop Telecom Pvt, Tata Teleservices, Allianz Infratech Pvt, Spice Communication and Idea Cellular.
However, at the outset and towards the end, the Bench slammed media for ?misreporting? and said ?an attempt was made to run down the high political office. It is most unfortunate…We will not be mute spectators. People should not be taken for a ride,?? it added.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for the petitioner, CPIL, submitted that there was enough evidence in the CAG report to chargesheet Raja under the Prevention of Corruption Act for criminal misconduct, illegal gratification and accepting pecuniary benefits as a public servant by favouring some private companies and persons.
He pointed out that the FIR was lodged by the CBI in October 2009 almost a year after the petition by Subramanium Swamy was sent to the Prime Minister for sanction to prosecute Raja. Even one Arun Agrawal had filed a petition alleging the allotment of spectrum to Swan Telecom a front company of Reliance Telecom, he said.
Even the CBI probe on the conversation by lobbyist Nira Radia and others was deliberately derailed by the authorities by transferring the nodal officers in both CBI and Enforcement Directorate.