CBI, ED to file fresh status report in SC in 2G case

New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) The Central Bureau of
Investigation(CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate are likely
to file fresh status report before the Supreme Court Thursday
on their probe in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The investigating agencies are expected to brief a bench
of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly on the findings made
by them after July 6 when the last status report was placed
before the court.
During the last hearing on August 24, the CBI had informed
the court that it has completed its probe in the multi-crore
scam in which charge sheet has been filed by it against 17
persons including former telecom minister A Raja and Dravida
Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Members of Parliament(MP) Kanimozi.
It had said that a third charge sheet would be filed by
September 15.
The court has been monitoring the probe on a plea of an
NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, and Janata Party
President Subramanian Swamy on whose petition it had directed
the CBI probe the scam.
In the last status report filed on July 6, the CBI had
informed the court that it is also probing the role of Union
Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran in alleged forcing of the
promoter of a Chennai-based telecom company Aircel to sell his
shares to a Malaysian firm in lieu of illegal gratification to
him in 2006.
The Minister, however, denied all such allegations.

The Enforcement Directorate had also informed that
proceedings for attachment of properties have begun against
persons and companies already chargesheeted by the CBI.
Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, other accused in the case
include Unitech Wireless Managing Director Sanjay Chandra,
Swan Telecom's Director Vinod Goenka, former telecom secretary
Siddhartha Behura, Raja's former personal secretary R K
Chandolia, DMK-run Kalaignar TV's MD Sharad Kumar, Bollywood
filmmaker Karim Morani and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
group's executives Hari Nair, Gautam Doshi and Surrendra
Pipara.
The other accused persons included Swan Telecom promoter
Shahid Usman Balwa, his cousin Asif Balwa and their colleague
Rajeev Agarwal.
The accused also included three telecom firms Reliance
Telecom Ltd, Swan Telecom and Unitech (Tamil Nadu) Wireless
Ltd.
All the accused have pleaded that they have not done
anything wrong and refuted the charge of drawing illegal
benefits in the 2G spectrum allocation.