Probe Chidambaram role in 2G scam, says fresh plea to SC

Adding to Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy's dogged attempts to indict home minister P Chidambaram in the 2G telecom scam, the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) today filed a similar plea in the Supreme Court.

The non-government organisation sought a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into Chidambaram abetting former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja in fixing  spectrum prices.

Chidambaram was the finance minister when the alleged scam involving the cheap sale of spectrum to select parties took place in 2008. Raja has been jailed in judicial custody for almost a year over the scandal.

Swamy earlier this week filed a review petition in the apex court after his earlier petition alleging that the spectrum sale could not have taken place without Chidambaram's connivance was rejected by the special CBI court trying the case.

The CPIL petition alleges that Chidambaram overruled officials of his own finance ministry, who had recommended an auction-based sale of spectrum.

Instead, it was sold on a first come, first serve basis at rates that now appear bargain-basement.