OUR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Dec. 16: The Supreme Court today asked the CBI to probe all telecom licences awarded from 2001 to 2007 and information thrown up by the Niira Radia tapes, delineating the contours of the investigation that will now cover decisions taken by the BJP-led NDA government also.
Today’s formal order, the first step in the probe being monitored by the court, means that the actions of not just former minister A. Raja but those of his predecessors such as Ram Vilas Paswan, Pramod Mahajan, Arun Shourie and Dayanidhi Maran will come under the CBI scanner.
Decisions taken by several senior officials will also be investigated.
The court directed the director-general in charge of income-tax investigations to arrange for transcripts of the Radia tapes, which feature purported conversations the lobbyist had with industrialists, journalists and politicians, to be handed over to the CBI.
Issuing seven directives to the CBI, Justices G.S. Singhvi and Asok Kumar Ganguly asked the agency to conduct the investigation “without being influenced by any functionary, agency or instrumentality of the state and irrespective of the position, rank or status of the person to be probed”.
The court said it was issuing the instructions to ensure that the agency, “in a serious matter like this”, conducts a “comprehensive and co-ordinated investigation” with the Enforcement Directorate “without any hindrance”.
The court asked the CBI to probe issues highlighted in a Central Vigilance Commission report forwarded to the CBI director on October 12, 2009, and the CAG report that “prima facie found serious irregularities in the grant of licences to 122 applicants....”
The agency was asked to lay “particular emphasis on the loss caused to the exchequer” and register a case, if it had not done so.
The court asked the CBI to submit a progress report on its probe on February 10 next year.
The above is from today's Telegraph.
Indians thank God that at least we have a comparative honest Supreme Court which reins in the Government where it becomes hell bound in its corruption programme. Not all the judiciary is honest but compared to the executive wing of the government, they are much better.
The Office of the Comptroller of Accounts too shows its independence by give a true picture when the government treasury is being looted.
The Vigilance Commissioner too acts wisely although the government every now and then try to give the post to corrupt officials. A thief to catch a thief?
The Election Commission too acts wisely after the stint of T N Seshan. Prior to him all election commissioners were just rubber stamps who just did what the government told them. Mr Seshan used the powers which they never used to bring the corruption in the election system in control. He made the politicians fear the election commission.
The government again tried to dilute the powers of the Election commission by bringing in two more election commissioners, ostensibly to assist him, but actually to put fetters on him so that there would never be another T N Seshan.
They have not been able to carry forward Mr Seshan's crusade and we still see criminals reaching the state assemblies and parliament. More tan 50 % of our worthy representatives, from all parties, have criminal records.
The Supreme Court is doing a fine job in following up the 2G scam and should be allowed to do so. Those who still insist on the JPC are just trying to delay getting to the bottom of the scam.
Remember 50% of our MPs have criminal records.
Do you expect a criminal to catch another criminal.
The JPC is just a means of making some extra money for the members of the JPC and muddying the water so that nothing is found out.At the end, it is all trashed.
Do let me know if any concrete results have ever come out of JPCs.
I am happy that the scope of enquiry has been widened.
I suspect Rambilas Paswan, Pramod Mahajan and Dayanidhi Maran were all involved in looting the government.
I don't think Arun Shourie would have been able to make money.
He is not a politician.
By the way, what happened to the CWG scam?
Kalamadi and company must be smiling for being out of the limelight as the government hurtles from one scam to another.
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