<p>The CBI on Wednesday described former telecom minister A Raja as a “habitual” liar, telling a special court that he advanced the cut off date for submission of applications for 2G spectrum licences. <br /><br /></p>.<p>This was done to favour the companies accused in the case and placed incorrect facts before the then prime minister Manmohan Singh, it said.<br /><br />In a letter to Raja, Singh had asked him to ensure fairness and transparency in the allocation of spectrum licence. Singh had also sought Raja to keep him informed before taking any decision in the matter, special public prosecutor of the CBI Anand Grover said, while arguing in the case.<br /><br />However, Raja changed the cut-off date for submission of applications by the companies seeking spectrum licences with just “a stroke on pen” to favour certain telecom firms, putting as many as 408 applicants out of the race, he told the special CBI judge, O P Saini.<br /><br /> “Raja wrote a letter to the (then) prime minister and told him about the process. What he told was contrary to the records. Raja made incorrect statements in the letter. This was deliberate on Raja's part as he knew very well that what he is saying was incorrect. Raja is in a habit of making false statements, even to the (then) prime minister,” the CBI counsel charged.<br /><br />Referring to a latter written by the then law minister to the (then) prime minister, Grover said Hansraj Bhardwaj had recommended that key policy issues relating to the allocation of second generation spectrum should be referred to the empowered group of the ministers for their consideration.<br /><br />But Raja rejected the (then) law minister’s suggestion, saying it was “out of context”, Grover charged. “This is a case where records suggest that there was a conspiracy to favour some people,” he contended. The CBI, whose argument remained inconclusive on Wednesday, had earlier told the special court that Raja had complained against Bhardwaj, accusing the then law minister of creating hurdles in the functioning of the department of telecom, and “misled” the then prime minister on matters relating to grant of spectrum licenses.<br /><br />Tata had also applied for allocation of spectrum along with the STPL, an accused in the case, same day. However, Raja did not process Tata’s application, though the company complied with the requisite conditions. Moreover, Tata’s application “mysteriously disappeared” and remained untraceable in the DoT. “The STPL got the radio waves even though it was ineligible for it on the date of application as it was “actually” owned by Tiger Traders Private Limited through the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)”, the CBI had charged arguing the case on April 15.<br /><br />DMK MP Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Swan Telecom promoters, Unitech Limited’s MD and several other high-profile people are facing trial in the case.</p>
<p>The CBI on Wednesday described former telecom minister A Raja as a “habitual” liar, telling a special court that he advanced the cut off date for submission of applications for 2G spectrum licences. <br /><br /></p>.<p>This was done to favour the companies accused in the case and placed incorrect facts before the then prime minister Manmohan Singh, it said.<br /><br />In a letter to Raja, Singh had asked him to ensure fairness and transparency in the allocation of spectrum licence. Singh had also sought Raja to keep him informed before taking any decision in the matter, special public prosecutor of the CBI Anand Grover said, while arguing in the case.<br /><br />However, Raja changed the cut-off date for submission of applications by the companies seeking spectrum licences with just “a stroke on pen” to favour certain telecom firms, putting as many as 408 applicants out of the race, he told the special CBI judge, O P Saini.<br /><br /> “Raja wrote a letter to the (then) prime minister and told him about the process. What he told was contrary to the records. Raja made incorrect statements in the letter. This was deliberate on Raja's part as he knew very well that what he is saying was incorrect. Raja is in a habit of making false statements, even to the (then) prime minister,” the CBI counsel charged.<br /><br />Referring to a latter written by the then law minister to the (then) prime minister, Grover said Hansraj Bhardwaj had recommended that key policy issues relating to the allocation of second generation spectrum should be referred to the empowered group of the ministers for their consideration.<br /><br />But Raja rejected the (then) law minister’s suggestion, saying it was “out of context”, Grover charged. “This is a case where records suggest that there was a conspiracy to favour some people,” he contended. The CBI, whose argument remained inconclusive on Wednesday, had earlier told the special court that Raja had complained against Bhardwaj, accusing the then law minister of creating hurdles in the functioning of the department of telecom, and “misled” the then prime minister on matters relating to grant of spectrum licenses.<br /><br />Tata had also applied for allocation of spectrum along with the STPL, an accused in the case, same day. However, Raja did not process Tata’s application, though the company complied with the requisite conditions. Moreover, Tata’s application “mysteriously disappeared” and remained untraceable in the DoT. “The STPL got the radio waves even though it was ineligible for it on the date of application as it was “actually” owned by Tiger Traders Private Limited through the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)”, the CBI had charged arguing the case on April 15.<br /><br />DMK MP Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Swan Telecom promoters, Unitech Limited’s MD and several other high-profile people are facing trial in the case.</p>
