<p>Former Telecom Minister A Raja and ex-Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura will be summoned to depose before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the 2G scam.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We have decided to call Raja and Behura.... While the date for Raja's appearance is not yet decided, Behura will be summoned on April 11," JPC Chairman P C Chacko told PTI today after the committee's meeting.<br /><br />Since Behura is lodged in Tihar jail, the parliamentary panel will write to the prison authorities to present the former Telecom Secretary before it.<br /><br />The JPC had earlier written to Tihar authorities to present Behura before it for which the CBI court had granted permission in July last year.<br /><br />But he was never actually summoned by the panel.<br /><br />Sources said the JPC decided to summon Raja as it wanted to find out the alleged "illegality" committed by the former Telecom Minister.<br /><br />"Some officials who appeared before the committee have agreed that Raja followed the advice of DoT and officials in deciding on the first-come-first-served policy, the procedure to be adopted and vetting of applications. Therefore it is necessary to find out the illegality committed by him," a member said.<br /><br />The Committee today grilled former Telecom Secretary D S Mathur who held the position between July 2006 and February, 2007.<br /><br />Mathur is learnt to have told the Committee that Raja followed the advice of DoT and its officials on several issues.<br /><br />He is also learnt to have said that he had opposed some of the decisions of Raja, but agreed that he had not registered his dissent on record.<br /><br />Mathur was grilled on whether there were any "procedural irregularities" by the Telecom Commission - of which he was ex-officio chief as Telecom Secretary - in adopting recommendations of telecom watchdog TRAI.<br /><br />The follow up action by the Telecom Ministry had led to the issuance of 2G licences, Mathur is understood to have told the members.<br /><br />Behura was arrested on February 2 last year by the CBI along with Raja and his personal secretary RK Chandolia on charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct.</p>
<p>Former Telecom Minister A Raja and ex-Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura will be summoned to depose before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the 2G scam.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We have decided to call Raja and Behura.... While the date for Raja's appearance is not yet decided, Behura will be summoned on April 11," JPC Chairman P C Chacko told PTI today after the committee's meeting.<br /><br />Since Behura is lodged in Tihar jail, the parliamentary panel will write to the prison authorities to present the former Telecom Secretary before it.<br /><br />The JPC had earlier written to Tihar authorities to present Behura before it for which the CBI court had granted permission in July last year.<br /><br />But he was never actually summoned by the panel.<br /><br />Sources said the JPC decided to summon Raja as it wanted to find out the alleged "illegality" committed by the former Telecom Minister.<br /><br />"Some officials who appeared before the committee have agreed that Raja followed the advice of DoT and officials in deciding on the first-come-first-served policy, the procedure to be adopted and vetting of applications. Therefore it is necessary to find out the illegality committed by him," a member said.<br /><br />The Committee today grilled former Telecom Secretary D S Mathur who held the position between July 2006 and February, 2007.<br /><br />Mathur is learnt to have told the Committee that Raja followed the advice of DoT and its officials on several issues.<br /><br />He is also learnt to have said that he had opposed some of the decisions of Raja, but agreed that he had not registered his dissent on record.<br /><br />Mathur was grilled on whether there were any "procedural irregularities" by the Telecom Commission - of which he was ex-officio chief as Telecom Secretary - in adopting recommendations of telecom watchdog TRAI.<br /><br />The follow up action by the Telecom Ministry had led to the issuance of 2G licences, Mathur is understood to have told the members.<br /><br />Behura was arrested on February 2 last year by the CBI along with Raja and his personal secretary RK Chandolia on charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct.</p>