Spectrum probe: CBI indicts Raja and his aides, telco officials
02 Apr 2011
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charged former telecom minister A Raja and eight others, including former telecom secretary Siddharth Behuria and executives of Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless, with irregularities in the 2008 sale of radio spectrum for second-generation mobile phone services.
In its first chargesheet filed before a special court, the CBI has accused former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's personal secretary R K Chandolia and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa and Sanjay Chandra, MD of Unitech wireless, with conspiracy for manipulating the procedure for allocation of spectrum with the aim of favouring companies like Swan Telecom and Unitech Group.
CBI has accused three telecom companies, which, according to its first chargesheet submitted before a special court in Delhi, caused loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs30,984 crore.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India had put the presumptive loss on the 2008 Spectrum sale at Rs1,76,000 crore.
The chargesheet names Reliance Communications, Unitech Wireless and Swan Telecom as beneficiaries in the scam.
CBI would file a supplementary chargesheet later this month in the case, which is being monitored by the Supreme Court.
.jpg "RBI keeps repo rate unchanged as focus remains on inflation")
.jpg "Indian Oil, Panasonic team up for lithium-ion cell production in India")
