Informed then PM about law ministry opinion: Raja

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 03-Feb-2016

Former telecom minister A. Raja on Wednesday apprised a court here that he had informed the then prime minister Manmohan Singh about the law ministry's opinion on referring the 2G spectrum allocation process to an empowered group of ministers (EGoM).Raja's counsel Manu Sharma told Special Judge O.P. Saini that he had informed Singh about everything, including the law ministry's opinion to refer the matter of processing applications for 2G spectrum to an EGoM and the department of telecommunications' (DoT) view that the law minister's note was out of context.Advancing final arguments in the case, Sharma said Manmohan Singh, who was the only authority to convene an EGoM, did not see any need to convene it and the matter rested there.

Defence counsel said Raja wrote three letters to Manmohan Singh and "the final letter written by Raja in which he had given the entire details was vetted and studied in depth by then senior prime minister's office (PMO) official Pulok Chatterji. The prime minister said it was okay. Had it not been okay, things would have been different".Denying the prosecution allegation that Raja misled the then prime minister, defence counsel said the allegation that Raja's decision was unilateral was untenable.The final arguments will continue on Thursday too.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, while advancing final arguments in the case, said Raja misled the then prime minister on policy matters related to 2G spectrum allocation.According to the CBI, Raja was biased in allocating the 2G mobile airwaves and operating licences to telecom firms, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.The court framed charges on October 22, 2011, against 14 accused and three companies under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.All the accused, including Raja, are out on bail.