2G scam verdict: Raja, Kanimozhi, others acquitted 

A special court on Thursday acquitted all 19 accused, including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK leader Kanimozhi besides three firms in the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case relating to the 2G scam that caused, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

The alleged scam on the issuance of licences and allocation of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecom occurred during the Congress-led UPA government's first tenure in 2008 but was widely reported in 2010 following CAG report. The trial in 2G spectrum scam started six years ago in 2011 after the court had framed charges against the accused.

Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, Special Judge O P Saini also acquitted Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Rajiv Aggarwal, Karim Morani, P Amirtham and Sharad Kumar in connection with the case.

In its charge sheet, the ED had also named DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal as an accused in the case in which it had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.

In its final report, the ED had named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused and listed them in the charge sheet for the offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Besides Kalaignar TV, the other companies accused in the case were STPL (now Etisalat DB Telecom (P) Ltd), Kusegaon Realty (P) Ltd, Cineyug Media & Entertainment (P) Ltd, Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company (P) Ltd, Conwood Construction & Developers (P) Ltd, DB Realty Ltd and Mystical Construction (P) Ltd (earlier known as Nihar Constructions (P) Ltd).

Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Thursday said the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G scam vindicated then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA's stand that there was no scam in the allocation of spectrum and licences to telecom companies.

"Manmohan Singh and the UPA government stand vindicated today," Sibal said. He was speaking to reporters after a special court here acquitted former Telecom Minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi and others accused in the 2008 2G spectrum allocation scam case.

Sibal sought an apology from Vinod Rai who as then Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had in his telecom audit report estimated a massive presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer by allocating 2G spectrum licences at allegedly throwaway prices.

The Congress leader said Rai must also apologise to the nation "as the telecom industry is in dire straits today and thanks to him and the then opposition (BJP)".

Sibal, who succeeded Raja after the DMK leader was forced to resign, also sought an apology from the BJP that had accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of shielding the corrupt.

"They (the BJP) must apologise as they attacked the (then) Prime Minister, and the Congress in the Lok Sabha as well as in Rajya Sabha. Today's verdict clears the government position as vindicated."

Sibal had maintained during his term as Telecom Minister that there was zero loss to the exchequer and no wrong had taken place in the allocation of licences.

He repeated the argument, saying: "I told the people of this that nothing wrong that has happened. And today my position, the government's position and the then Prime Minister's position has been vindicated."

The alleged scam in the issuance of licences and allocation of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecom occurred during the Congress-led UPA government's first tenure in 2008 but was widely reported in 2010 following a report by then Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai.

“Allegation of a major scam involving the highest levels of the government was never true, was not correct and that has been established today,” ANI quoted former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram as saying.

"We are waiting for the detailed judgement. Once we receive the copy we will examine it and take legal opinion and then decide on our next course of action," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS.

Meanwhile, an Enforcement Directorate official told IANS that the agency will discuss its course of action after holding a meeting with senior officials after looking at the detailed judgement.

(With agency inputs)