In a surprise move, Niira Radia, owner and promoter of Vaishnavi Group which has the mandate from Tata Group and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd, has announced her exit from the business of communication consultancy.
Niira Radia had said friends in high places enabled favourable EGoM decision on Sasan coal diversion, a charge staunchly denied by Reliance Power.
Stating that Tatas did not have a 'captive' connection to counter a media campaign against it by an unholy nexus between certain corporates and journalists, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata on Thursday said that this necessitated engagement of external PR service provider Niira Radia.
Radia, whose tapped phone conversations with politicians, corporates, bureaucrats, and journalists form a key part of the investigations into the 2G spectrum scam.
In a statement to the CBI, which has been filed as part of the chargesheet in the 2G scam, Radia is also said to have alleged that Pawar could have had a major role in helping Swan Telecom obtain the licence and also get 2G spectrum.
The government on Saturday said it will be premature to make a judgment on whether corporate lobbyist Niira Radia was a spy or not, until the probe is completed in the matter.
The law officer said nothing remains in the matter after the privacy judgement.
Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia was on Tuesday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in New Delhi in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.
The government on Thursday placed recorded tapes containing the conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others related to the 2G spectrum allocation case before the Supreme Court in a sealed cover. While placing the recorded conversation before the bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said that it is a hard disc drive directly downloaded from the server which contains the conversations.
Transcripts of 5,800 tapped telephone conversations of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with politicians, corporate honchos including former Tata Chief Ratan Tata were on Tuesday placed by the government before the Supreme court which said it will go through them before deciding the course of action.
Radia's decision to close shop was as dramatic as her entry into the country's close-knit world of public relations.
The economic offence wing of Delhi police has registered an FIR against Nayati Healthcare's Niira Radia and four others for alleged embezzlement of over Rs 300 crore of bank loan, following a complaint filed by orthopaedic surgeon Rajiv Sharma from whom they had acquired two hospitals.
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response from corporate lobbyist Niira Radia on an application seeking vacation of stay on the release and circulation of the book Close Encounters with Niira Radia authored by advocate R K Anand.
'As a lobbyist, she was within her right to co-opt whoever she deemed fit in her enterprise to service the interests of her clients. She broke no law. If she did, by now she would have been charged since these tapes belong to early and mid-2009.'
"The Tata Group has had a long and fruitful association with Vaishnavi Corporate Communications and its chairperson Ms Niira Radia, which has added substantial value to the group's communications and public perception," a spokesperson of the group's holding company Tata Sons said in a statement.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has called leading industrialists, including Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani, and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia to appear before the panel in connection with the 2G spectrum scam which it is probing.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday told a Delhi court that it will supply to the 2G scam case accused by July 12 the transcripts of tapped telephonic talk of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with various people.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday rejected corporate lobbyst Niira Radia's claim that he lobbied with A Raja.
A top official of the Central Bureau of Investigation, currently investigating the 2G spectrum scam under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court of India, told this correspondent in an informal conversation that the bureau has not registered an FIR against lobbyist Niira Radia, because "there is no case against Niira Radia"
Breaking from its standard practice, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday questioned corporate lobbyist Niira Radia for four hours at her residence in south Delhi in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.CBI's move to question Radia at her farmhouse raised eyebrows as the agency had on Monday issued summons, asking her to appear before the agency. Usually, those summoned are questioned at the CBI headquarters or its offices in Delhi.
The government on Tuesday claimed before the Supreme Court that the Radia tapes broadcast by media organisations were tampered with and the government agencies were not responsible for its leakage.
The Congress sought to turn tables on the Bharatiya Janata Party on the corruption issue demanding removal of its general secretary Ananth Kumar for his alleged links with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
The government on Monday ordered a probe into the leaks of recorded tapes of conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, her clients and certain journalists among others.
In a relief to corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, the Delhi high court on Wednesday stayed the release and circulation of a book authored by advocate R K Anand on her controversial, tapped telephonic conversation with various high profile individuals.
With the deadline for filing the chargesheet in the 2G spectrum case nearing, the CBI is expected to soon question Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP K Kanimozhi and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, especially on the role played by Radia in clinching a deal between Tata Realty and Unitech.
Niira Radia-promoted Vaishnavi Corporate Communications on Friday said none of its present or past employees has given any complaint to the government that became the basis for the I-T department to tap Radia's phones.
Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia on Wednesday met Central Bureau of Investigation's Director A P Singh and reportedly raised the issue of a lawyer allegedly threatening her.Radia, who has been questioned by the agency officials in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam, met Singh at his North Block office for nearly 20 minutes. During the meeting, she is said to have produced a copy of a letter which has been addressed to the CBI director.
Pulling up the government for producing unsigned documents, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought to know what action has been taken against former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia after tapping her phone on the basis of a complaint against her.
Attorney General Goolam E Vahnavati and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia are among the 125 witnesses listed in the Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheet in the 2G spectrum scam.
The matter related to supply of low floor buses by Tata Motors to Government of Tamil Nadu.
Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, told the media that lobbyist Niira Radia was evasive when she was quizzed in connection with the 2G spectrum scam. Her attitude and the answers she gave to the 12-member committee during her 2-hour questioning seems to have angered Joshi.
'The crossing of lines has dangerous implications for the credibility of the media -- its greatest asset. Already, many journalists have strayed from the profession's proper boundaries. It would be even worse, and ethically more repugnant, if journalists become political fixers or take instructions from corporate lobbyists.'
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to respond within 10 days to the petition filed by Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata, seeking a direction to the government to probe the leakage of audio tapes containing his private conversation with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and stop their further publication. The apex court issued notices to Home Secretary G K Pillai, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax Department and the finance ministry.
The Central Bureau of Investigation may arrest eight bigwigs involved in the 2G Spectrum scam, including former telecom minister A Raja, corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and key Raja aides RK Chandolia and A K Srivastava.
The Supreme Court has sought by Thursday the names of officials of CBI, IT department and the Enforcement Directorate for setting up of a team to enquire into the tapped telephonic conversations of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with others to ascertain element of criminality.
The Bharatiya Janata Party termed as "baseless" allegations that some of its senior leaders had business relations with controversial corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and said it was initiating legal action against those who levelled the charges.
In a crackdown as part of the 2G spectrum scam probe, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday searched 34 offices and residences of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Pradip Baijal, siblings of ex-Telecom Minister A Raja and an NGO linked to Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam member of Parliament Kanimozhi.
Former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, a key prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, is likely to appear Tuesday before a Delhi court to record her statement in the case.
Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the government to respond to the plea for preserving the tapes containing conversation between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others relating to the 2G spectrum scam.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the government to place before it in sealed cover the copy of the complaint on which it started tapping corporate lobbyist Niira Radia's telephonic conversations with a host of people including politicians, corporate leaders and media personalities.
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