He said TRAI recommendations on 2G spectrum allocation were currently being reviewed by the Union finance minister and the Prime Minister's Office.
Unrelenting on its demand for a JPC probe into 2-G Spectrum scam, Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for giving "repeated clean chits" to former Telecom Minister A Raja and alleged the government was "scared" of embarrassing truths coming out.
He was "questioned in relation to the case registered into the allocation of unified access service licenses," CBI DIG and spokesperson Bineeta Thakur told media persons, adding that the process was continuing.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, at the centre of the 2G spectrum allocation scam, has earned the dubious distinction of figuring in the list of Time Magazine's "an ignominious club of privileged leaders who stepped too far".
An over 80,000 page first chargesheet with annexures will be filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday in the 2G spectrum scam case against former Telecom Minister A Raja, some of his close aides and a couple of real estate companies for allegedly defrauding the exchequer and entering into a criminal conspiracy for securing telecom licenses.
Former telecom minister A Raja on Monday sought to rope in Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister P Chidamabaram in the 2G scam case, telling a court that the issue of dilution of equity by spectrum licencees was discussed with them.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's offer to present himself for questioning appeared to have weighed in on the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee with the PAC giving him a clean chit in its draft report, while indicting arrested former telecom minister A Raja and seeking re-tendering of the 2G licences he had given for a song, causing a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore (Rs 1.76 trillion) to the exchequer.
A Raja, the former telecom minister who stepped down from his post in the wake of the 2G spectrum scam, does not appear in the list of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders who will campaign from 2011 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. This list was finalised on Thursday by DMK chief M Karunanidhi.
Former telecom minister A Raja will be questioned by Central Bureau of Investigation within next two days in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum that resulted in a loss of at least Rs 22,000 crore to the exchequer.
A Raja, former telecom minister and the key accused in the 2G scam, on Friday accused the Central Bureau of Investigation in a Delhi court of making his ex-aide Aseervatham Achary a "false witness" to depose against him. "He is a created false witness and this is my ultimate case," senior advocate Sushil Kumar, who is defending Raja, contended before Special CBI Judge O P Saini.
Though the 2G scam may be revolving around A Raja, Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chief M M Joshi has rejected demands from some members for calling the former telecom minister who is in jail. Joshi has argued that calling Raja would involve long processes as he in judicial custody and that there are enough records and witness statements to "draw conclusions".
'Raja had conquered Tihar jail', read the slogans, apparently referring to his incarceration and release from the Delhi prison where he was lodged for 15 months after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation
Former Telecom Minister and key accused in the 2G scam case, A Raja, was on Wednesday allowed by a Delhi court to visit his home state Tamil Nadu between June 8 and June 30.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja's brother has been arrested on charges of 'bribing' voters in Perumbalur district in the run up to the April 13 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, police said on Monday.
Alleging that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime had distributed for free, 250 mega hertz of spectrum among the telecom operators, he told reporters, "The scam during the NDA regime could be worth much more than Rs 1.6 lakh crore."
On the apprehension of the CBI that if granted bail Raja may influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, the court said it addressed them by imposing conditions and restrictions on the accused.
Special Judge O P Saini, hearing the 2G spectrum scam, has set a record of sorts with an unwieldy sentence running into 29 pages in the order he passed on October 22, framing charges against former Telecom Minister A Raja and 16 others.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday moved a designated special court for slapping the fresh charge of breach of trust by public servants against former Telecom Minister A Raja and two others in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
In what could be a relief to mobile operators and lakhs of subscribers, the government on Friday said the security issue related to Blackberry services would be resolved within a week."Most of the security issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of the security agencies," Telecom Minister A Raja said.
A Delhi court on Friday held as "maintainable" a private complaint filed by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy seeking prosecution of former Telecom Minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum case.
Former telecom minister A Raja's plea to witness and assist his counsel during the proceedings in the Supreme Court on the 2G scam case was on Friday dismissed by a Delhi court. Raja, in his application, had sought permission to appear and witness the judicial proceedings in the apex court so that he can assist his lawyer Sushil Kumar there.
In a U-turn, former Telecom Minister A Raja on Tuesday told a Delhi court that he did not seek to implicate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G case.
"I had done everything in consultation with the Prime Minister. After demitting office, I told everyone that whatever I did was in consultation with the Prime Minister," Raja said.
In further embarrassment to former telecom minister A Raja, the Madras high court on Tuesday suspended from the bar a top lawyer who was allegedly involved in an attempt to influence a judge taking the name of the minister.A division bench comprising Justice F M Ibrahim Khalifulla and Justice M M Sundaresh, said the status of R K Chandramohan, a member and subsequently the chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Pondichery, shall stand suspended forthwith.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has put the Manmohan Singh government in the dock with the party standing by former telecom minister A Raja who was arrested on Tuesday and making it clear that just because a person is arrested, it does not mean he is guilty.
While the 2G Spectrum case will go on, politically the situation is a little more complicated than that.
The 2G spectrum case on Saturday reached an important milestone with a Delhi court framing charges against all the 17 accused, including former Telecom Minister A Raja and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi and corporate honchos.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday responded to allegations of corruption against Telecom Minister A Raja over sale of licences in 2008, by promising to take action if corruption was proved 'at any level'.
The Public Accounts Committee has, in a draft report on 2G scam, strongly indicted former Telecom minister A Raja and came down heavily on the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat for not taking "corrective action" while not sparing even the prime minister for "some unfortunate omissions".
The popular perception is that A Raja will be fighting with his back to the wall, given the enormity of the charges against him in the 2G scam, but all it takes is for one to follow his campaign trail for 12 hours to be disabused of such a notion. Rediff.com's Saisuresh Sivaswamy spends time with the controversial former telecom minister's road show in Ooty on April 19.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's core group decided that it will demand the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja in the wake of his reported indictment by CAG in 2G spectrum allocation and reiterate its demand for JPC probe into the issue as also CWG and Adarsh housing society scams.
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.
"Accused Raja had filed an application seeking permission to visit Tamil Nadu from today evening to Monday (August 20) night. Senior PP (of the CBI) has no objection to the prayer. Since the matter has already been listed on August 21, prayer is allowed," the judge said.
A group of officials from the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank ) are in India to meet officials from the finance ministry, Reserve Bank and market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India to discuss regulatory matters related to the deal.
Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then finance minister, when the 2G Spectrum allocation was made, P Chidambaram, give "proper reply" to former Telecom Minister A Raja's claim that the issue of sale of equity by spectrum licencees was discussed with them.
The amount is much higher than the earlier target of up to Rs 35,000 crore (Rs 350 billion).
Former telecom minister and Dravid Munetra Kazhagam politician A Raja has threatened to start a hunger strike unless he is allowed to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee that is probing alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum and licences during his ministerial tenure in 2008.
BSNL, struggling to cut the delay in its mobile expansion plan, has sought legal views before finalising its response to the queries of Telecom Minister A Raja.
Former telecom minister A Raja on Friday sought a review of the Supreme Court verdict on cancellation of licenses for 2G spectrum, saying it violates the "principles of natural justice" and "judicial norms" and that he was indicted without being heard. Raja, who has been in jail for more than a year, contended that the findings of the verdict against him are "bound to prejudice" his defence in the trial of the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
In an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, BJP MP Harin Pathak, a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the 2G scam, says without mincing words that panel chief P C Chacko cannot decide exclusively whether to summon prime accused former Union Telecom Minister A Raja or not.