Delhi HC asks CBI to respond to RTL executives' pleas in 2G case

The CBI was asked on Tuesday by the Delhi High Court to respond to the separate petitions of three top executives of Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL), seeking quashing of charges against them in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

"Issue notice to the CBI for March 22," Justice ML Mehta said while admitting for hearing the pleas of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group's Managing Director Gautam Doshi, group President Surendra Pipara and Senior Vice President Hari Nair.

Senior advocate NK Kaul, appearing for one of the accused, said the notice be issued to the CBI on the pleas of RADAG officials as the court has already asked CBI to respond to petitions of other co-accused in the case.

The court was hearing as many as 12 petitions filed by the accused against the framing of charges by Special CBI Judge O P Saini under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Besides RADAG officials, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd's MD Sanjay Chandra and Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd's directors Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal had also moved the high court against the framing of charges in the case.

Former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura and RK Chandolia, former private secretary of ex-Telecom minister A Raja, have also sought quashing of the charges.

The court, which would hear RADAG executives' pleas on March 22, has now fixed other petitions for hearing on May 10.

Shahid Balwa and others have also filed separate petitions for changing of charges relating to the fabrication of documents in the case. The court, however, did not issue any notice on these pleas.

Raja, so far, has neither moved his bail plea nor sought quashing of charges against him in the case.