Supreme Court monitored probe best: Sibal

The Supreme Court said Thursday that there was prima facie evidence of wrongdoings in the grant of 2G spectrum and allowed the plea of the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) for court monitoring of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

"I am happy that the Supreme Court has directed that these investigations should be done from 2001 to 2008," Sibal told reporters here. The probe will cover the grant of telecom licences during the National Democratic Alliance rule.

The apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice A.K. Ganguly said the allegations of irregularities in spectrum allocation made in the CPIL's plea were supported by reports of the central vigilance commission and the comptroller and auditor general.

The court said the CBI would conduct a comprehensive probe into the scam in co-ordination with the directorate of enforcement and the income tax department covering the period 2001-07.

Criticising opposition parties for not allowing parliament to function during the winter session over their demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe, Sibal said the opposition was not interested in getting to the truth but was just looking to smear the government.

"The JPC would have delayed everything. What the government is doing is trying to expedite the process, and what the opposition is trying to do is to delay the process," said Sibal.