The government on Tuesday started allocating GSM spectrum to new telecom players, commencing with the Tamil Nadu circle including Chennai, in a move that would infuse more competition in the mobile telephony space.Five new players -- Videocon-promoted Datacom, Idea Cellular, realty major Unitech, Swan Telecom and Loop Telecom -- have been given start-up 4.4 MHz GSM spectrum in Tamil Nadu circle.
A special court on Thursday acquitted all accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam cases. The scam relates to the granting of 2G spectrum licence allocations in 2007-08 which caused, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Here is a detailed timeline of how the case came to light and how it has progressed over the years:
In contrast to their lavish lifestyle, all the five spent their night in a 90 square feet Tihar prison cell.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case, was Thursday allowed by a Delhi court to visit Tamil Nadu till November 25 from Friday.
The Supreme Court has granted bail to five corporate executives in 2G spectrum case.
Shahid U Balwa, one of the promoters of the leading real estate company, DB Realty, as well as the controversial Swan Telecom (now Etilisat DB Telecom), has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
New telecom operators who have been given licences to operate pan-India GSM mobile services are all set to fight a bitter battle with the established GSM players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, chargesheeted in the 2G spectrum scam, today told a Delhi court that the CBI should have named Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as one of the witnesses in the case.
A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the bail plea of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa and former telecom minister A Raja's secretary R K Chandolia in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, saying they are "high ranking public servants" and may tamper with the probe. In not granting the relief, the judge also took into account the "initial stage of the investigation and other facts and circumstances of the case."
Former Telecom Minister A Raja was sent to CBI remand for three more days by a Delhi court which also extended the custody of Swan telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa for four days in the 2G spectrum case after the CBI said it wanted to confront them on the money trail.
A key 2G case witness and ex-aide of A Raja on Monday told a Delhi court that the former telecom minister was in touch with Swan Telecom promoters, Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka and Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra and had cleared their projects during his stint with ministry of environment and forests in 2004-07.
Tech Mahindra on Monday pipped IT giants Wipro and IBM to bag a Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) outsourcing deal spread over 10 years from new telecom player Etisalat DB, which is in the process starting mobile services in India.
So far, most of those horrified by the dramatic evidence that surfaced last week of Telecom Minister A Raja's largesse on 2G spectrum costing the nation $10bn (that on 3G will probably cost another $5bn) have comforted themselves with one thought: maybe the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, which is hearing the case, will conclude the policy changes were illegal and smacked of favouritism.
The developments came as the CBI custody of Raja, who was arrested by the investigating agency on February 2, ended on Thursday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation was on Wednesday allowed two days transit remand of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa by a Mumbai court to take him to Delhi and confront him with former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is also in the agency's custody in connection with the 2G spectrum case.
Money laundering is punishable under the provisions of PMLA.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate's pleas seeking an early hearing into the appeals challenging the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
During the arguments on the bail pleas, ED had argued that the accused had committed the offence of money laundering punishable under provisions of PMLA.
A special court on Thursday held that the prosecution "miserably failed" to prove the charges in 2G scam case.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday took exception to Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid's reported statement that putting businessmen behind bars will hamper investments in the country, saying if true it is "disturbing".
There's an undercurrent of fear in business circles these days
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday rejected corporate lobbyst Niira Radia's claim that he lobbied with A Raja.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's claims about not being acquainted with DB Realty and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa are false, according to a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Maharashtra.
Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa and Director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Asif Balwa, facing trial in the 2G scam case, were today given a week's exemption from attending court to facilitate their holy month of Ramdan.
The Central Bureau of Investigation will soon send a formal request to Switzerland to help the agency in tracking down the alleged money trail of Swan Telecom, a company chargesheeted in the allocation of 2G spectrum.
Minutes after the Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member of Parliament Kanimozhi, an accused in 2G scam case, the three other accused, including Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, withdrew their pleas for similar relief from the Delhi high court.
The five were not arrested during the probe into the case.
Here are some of the top executives and politicians who have been linked to the 2G spectrum scam in India.
The 2G-spectrum trial entered its second day on Monday with Public Prosecutor Advocate A K Singh putting up a myriad of questions to Reliance Group President A N Sethuraman in a bid to establish a link between the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and Swan Telecom.
The corporate honchos who are behind bars for their alleged involvement in the 2G scam will have to celebrate Diwali in jail as the Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on their bail pleas to Octocer 31.
"The investigation did not not reveal any evidence either oral or documentary to inculpate Sh. Anil Ambani in the structuring of different companies and transfer of funds," the agency said in its status report submitted to the Supreme Court on September 29.
A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, his cousin Asif Balwa and their associate Rajeev Agarwal in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
The answer to this million-dollar question may lie behind certain recent developments. Shahid Usman Balwa, Swan Telecom promoter and an accused in the 2G scam case, on May 18
The "CBI's heart beats for the Tatas", 2G scam accused Shahid Usman Balwa alleged in court today, questioning the agency's portrayal of the group as a "victim" of A. Raja's spectrum allocations.
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.
Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, accused in the 2G case, were today granted three days exemption from personal appearance by a Delhi court as they have to consult lawyers in Mumbai for a cheating case filed against them by foreign partner Etisalat.
The department of telecommunication has sent notices to Etilsalat DB, along with other new operators for cancelling their licences, as it failed to start services even after two years of getting spectrum, which is a violation of the licence terms and conditions.
Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair, senior executives of the Reliance ADA Group who were granted bail on Wednesday by the Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum scam case, will provide major relief to their high-profile boss Anil Ambani.
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 CBI suspects A Raja of favouring Swan Telecom, a wing of DB Realty. A chain of firms connected to DB Realty transferred over Rs 200 crore to a television network connected to M Karunanidhi's immediate family....'
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