Court warns CBI of fines for delay in supply of 2G case files

"Complete the process of supplying deficit documents to defence counsel to speed up the scrutiny process in three days otherwise I am going to impose a cost of Rs 50,000 on you (CBI) per day for the period of delay," Special CBI Judge O P Saini said.

"What are you (CBI) doing for the past 10 days? You have not completed the set of documents of even one accused in 10 days," the court said.

The court's remarks came as the accused have been regularly complaining that CBI was not providing them complete set of documents and in many cases they have received torn documents.

The CBI prosecutor told the court that the agency has deployed more people to get the documents ready.

The court asked the defence lawyers to file all the applications related to document deficit during the course of the day itself.

"By looking at their (defence counsel) applications, it seems you (CBI) have not supplied them any document. They are filing so many applications of deficit documents and this way the trial would not conclude even in four years," the judge said.

While directing CBI and the defence counsel to wind up the scrutiny of documents in three days, the court told the prosecution and defence counsel "how the trial in the case will begin? It has been two months now and still the scrutiny process is going on."

"Look at their (accused) faces, they sit in front of me for the whole day. They have hired you (counsel) to get them out of jail and with the pace this case is moving, it seems they have to remain in jail forever", the judge said.

"These accused persons are in jail and it seems because your (lawyers') own close ones are not in jail, you are not concerned about them," the judge said.

He further asked the counsel to find a way to speed up the scrutiny process so that the trial in the case could start from the first week of July.

CBI had in its first charge sheet submitted on April 2 named former Telecom Minister A Raja, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura, Raja's former personal secretary R K Chandolia and five corporate executives -- Unitech Group MD Sanjay Chandra, D B Realty promoter Vinod Goenka, Group MD of Reliance ADAG Gautam Doshi and Reliance officials Hari Nair and Surrendra Pipara.

In the second charge sheet filed on April 25, CBI had named DMK MP Kanimozhi, DMK-run Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajeev Aggarwal and Director of Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd Karim Morani.