NEW DELHI: A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted all 18 accused including A Raja and K Kanimozhi in 2G spectrum allocation case. The scam came to light almost seven years ago when the Comptroller and Auditor General or CAG in a report held then Telecom Minister A Raja responsible for allocating 2G spectrum licenses at throwaway prices.
But, today the court found that the prosecution failed to prove the charges. This verdict, however, doesn’t override the Supreme Court judgement or take away from the fact that the licenses issued during 2G spectrum allocation were illegal.
Special judge O P Saini, who acquitted the accused facing trial in three separate cases lodged by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, said that in the CBI’s charge sheet filed against former telecom minister A Raja and others, incorrect facts were recorded and they were entitled to be set free.
Former PM Manmohan Singh said the 2G scam was a massive propaganda against the UPA without any proof. A special court also criticised the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) over its submission that it was cheated by promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom Ltd by fraudulently obtaining 2G spectrum licences, saying the DoT was playing “victim”.
Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, reacting to Subramanian Swamy’s statement, said that Swamy is in habit of making wild and false allegations.Former AG Mukul Rohatgi, reacting to Subramanian Swamy’s statement, said that Swamy is in habit of making wild and false allegations.
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari in a tweet asked the former CAG chief Vinod Rai to apologise to the nation. The CBI today said it would file an appeal against the 2G scam case verdict by a special court, which acquitted all the 16 accused rejecting the case presented by the agency.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the Congress should not treat the 2G judgement as a ‘badge of honour’.
