Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura is learnt to have made a request to the Prime Minister's Office to convene a meeting that will include PMO, DoT, telecom regulator TRAI and finance secretary to resolve the controversy over spectrum allocation and pricing. He said the department is in dialogue with the ministry of finance regarding certain issues relating to guidelines for auction of 3G spectrum and pricing of 2G spectrum.
Loop Telecom on Wednesday stated that it has fully complied with the licensing norms and has submitted the certified shareholding structure in the company to the DoT, saying that the Essar Group has equity of less than 9.99 per cent in the firm (Loop).
Amidst security concerns raised by law enforcement agencies on the use of Blackberry services, India has assured Canada that commercial interest of RIM, the maker of Blackberry, would be kept in mind while taking any final decision.
Telecom Ministry has confirmed that more spectrum will be allotted to telecom players as soon as Defence ministry releases this additional spectrum.
The government is looking at reworking on the current spectrum policy to ensure efficient management of the radio wave.
High food prices have driven inflation to new highs, leading the Centre to clamp down on export of farm commodities.
As per the Indian laws, foreign companies can own up to 74 per cent stake and thus they would be required to form a joint venture with an Indian company before starting the services, Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura told reporters. The foreign players want DoT to allow them to bid as 100 per cent foreign entities or give them a minimum of six to seven months after announcement of bidding details to enable them form JV with Indian firms before the spectrum is auctioned.
Idea Cellular had recently bought over B K Modi-owned Spice Communications which had operations in Punjab and Karnataka. Asked whether DoT would consider amending some of the norms like three-year lock-in-period for merger at later stage, Behura said 'that stage has not come as yet'.
The ED, in its chargesheet, had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday refused to grant early hearing on the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal challenging the acquittal of former Union telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Monday issued a non-bailable warrant against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi, facing trial in the 2G spectrum case, for non-appearance only to cancel it in less than an hour after her counsel appeared before the court and apologised for the same.
The matter was mentioned before a bench of Delhi high court's acting chief justice Gita Mittal and kustice C Hari Shankar by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The court allowed it to be listed for hearing on Wednesday.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja had "misled" then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding policy of first-come-first-served which was to be followed for allocation of 2G spectrum, Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told a special court.
The case files and documents have been sent to the CVC for scrutiny following the Supreme Court's order directing the vigilance body to inquire against Verma.
'The question is: Who misrepresented the facts to the then PM? It was not A Raja but Pulok Chatterjee, in consultation with T K A Nair, as he had suppressed the most relevant and controversial part of the letter of A Raja from the then Prime Minister,' says the special CBI judge in his 2G spectrum case verdict.
'The transactions were done in a circuitous route deliberately and most of the companies involved in it are Reliance ADA group firms.'
The accused had also requested the court to take on record the written answers afresh.
Over a year after the judgement was reserved, a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya rejected the pleas of the telecom companies which pleaded that they be tried in a magisterial court unlike other accused in 2G cases as they have not been charged under Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
Balwa, who is accused along with 16 others in the case, claimed that he cannot be prosecuted for pushing back Tata in the race as the firm was never in the race to get the 2G spectrum licence
The CMM was appointed as commissioner to record 84-year-old Ammal's testimony by a Special CBI Court, holding trial in the case, in the wake of the Supreme Court's direction.
Justice Siddharth Mridul perused the status report filed by the CBI with regard to the present health condition of Chautala and also the medical documents filed by the Indian National Lok Dal chief while extending his interim bail, which was to expire on Thursday.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi on Thursday sought the dismissal of a Central Bureau of Investigation plea seeking special court's permission to summon some additional witnesses, including Enforcement Directorate Deputy Director Rajeshwar Singh, in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
The judgment in the 2G case is a huge, huge, indictment of the criminal investigation and justice system, says R Jagannathan.
He allegedly advanced the cut-off date to favour accused firms in allocation of 2G licences.
The court said a 'scam was created when there was none'.
From the economy to foreign policy issues, to addressing the serious challenge posed by communal forces which are out to viciously polarise and divide Indian society, the UPA II government has shown a certain pronounced weakness and lack of vision and commitment that could seriously harm India in the long run, notes Sanjay Kapoor.
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