Witness can’t recall Raja favouring Balwa firm
A former aide to jailed former communications minister A Raja on Tuesday told the special court hearing the 2G case that he did not remember the project regarding the companies of Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka to which Raja as the then environment and forests minister gave clearance.
Aseervatham Achary, former additional private secretary of Raja and a key witness of the Central Bureau of Investigation in the 2G case, said this during his cross-examination before Special Judge O P Saini. He had earlier said that he saw DB Group’s Balwa and Goenka meet Raja in the environment and forests ministry over 20 times.
The witness said on Monday that Unitech’s Sanjay Chandra, Balwa and Goenka used to meet Raja, when he was environment and forests minister, in connection with clearance required for their real estate projects. On Tuesday, he claimed that Raja as minister of environment and forests could accept and reject the decision of a committee for giving the nod to projects. He said the environment committee forwarded its suggestion on giving clearance to projects to the minister and “to the best of my knowledge, the minister could accept or reject the recommendation of the committee”.
Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for DMK MP and 2G case co-accused Kanimozhi, asked Achary if he could mention the exact project that was given clearance in favour of the companies of Balwa and Goenka. Achary replied that he had no idea about it.
“I do not remember... that environment clearance was issued to the companies of these two people (Balwa and Goenka),” Achary said.
“I saw Balwa and Goenka approximately more than 20 times in the office of minister of environment and forests,” said Achary during cross-examination by Jethmalani.
Achary told the court that appointments for meeting Raja were given by the minister’s then private secretary R K Chandolia, a co-accused.
In Chandolia’s absence, the appointments were given by him, Achary said.
