2G spectrum scam: Submit Radia tapes, Supreme Court tells govt

The developments in the Supreme Court took centre stage in the 2G spectrum allocation controversy on Wednesday with central vigilance commission (CVC) chief PJ Thomas offering to recuse himself from supervising the CBI probe in the case and the court directing the government to submit the original Nira Radia tapes with it.

Earlier, the court had made stinging observations regarding the ability of Thomas to maintain objectivity in the probe since he was the telecom secretary when the scam took place. Solicitor-general (SG) Gopal Subramanium, who has been facing tough questions from the judges on the subject, said the CVC would not be associated in any way with the supervision of the probe.

“In accordance to the highest traditions of the Indian civil services, he will recuse himself,’’ the SG told a bench of justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly. The probe is likely to be supervised by the two other commissioners in the watchdog body.

Thomas, however, ruled out resigning from his post. “The government has appointed me CVC. I am continuing as CVC,” he said. The opposition said the recusal offer was an attempt by the government to bail him out.

The court also directed the central government to deposit with it the original recording of conversations between corporate consultant Nira Radia and others, including business tycoons and journalists in connection with the 2G scam.

The direction came after the government submitted that it had no objection in handing over the complete set of tapes in the wake of apprehensions that these may be destroyed. Prashant Bhusan, lawyer for the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), had called for preserving the tapes since these could be destroyed.

The SG told the court that prime minister Manmohan Singh and law minister M Veerappa Moily had reservations over the spectrum allocation process. The PM’s reservation should have been given more importance ostensibly by the then minister Raja. He also said the DoT should have been more transparent, he added.
“There is more than what meets the eyes… The entire system has been brought to disrepute,” the bench observed.

Raja’s counsel TR Andhyarujina disputed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, saying the loss to the exchequer pegged at Rs1.76 lakh crore in its report was “mind boggling and speculative”.  He termed the CAG’s report a ‘subjective opinion’. — with PTI inputs