2G: CBI, ED to file fresh status report in SC

New Delhi: In the 2G spectrum allocation case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are likely to file fresh status reports before the Supreme Court on Thursday.

The investigating agencies are expected to brief a bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly on the findings made by them after July 6 when the last status report was placed

before the court.

During the last hearing on August 24, the CBI had informed the court that it has completed its probe in the multi-crore scam in which charge sheet has been filed by it against 17

persons including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozi. It had said that a third charge sheet would be filed by September 15.

The court has been monitoring the probe on a plea of an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, and Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on whose petition it had directed

the CBI probe the scam.

In the last status report filed on July 6, the CBI had informed the court that it is also probing the role of Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran in alleged forcing of the

promoter of a Chennai-based telecom company Aircel to sell his shares to a Malaysian firm in lieu of illegal gratification to him in 2006.

The Minister, however, denied all such allegations.

The Enforcement Directorate had also informed that proceedings for attachment of properties have begun against persons and companies already chargesheeted by the CBI.

Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, other accused in the case include Unitech Wireless Managing Director Sanjay Chandra, Swan Telecom's Director Vinod Goenka, former telecom secretary

Siddhartha Behura, Raja's former personal secretary R K Chandolia, DMK-run Kalaignar TV's MD Sharad Kumar, Bollywood filmmaker Karim Morani and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group's executives Hari Nair, Gautam Doshi and Surrendra Pipara.

The other accused persons included Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, his cousin Asif Balwa and their colleague Rajeev Agarwal.

The accused also included three telecom firms Reliance Telecom Ltd, Swan Telecom and Unitech (Tamil Nadu) Wireless Ltd.

All the accused have pleaded that they have not done anything wrong and refuted the charge of drawing illegal benefits in the 2G spectrum allocation.