New Delhi:
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two different requests today that ask for an investigation into union minister P Chidambaram's alleged role in the telecom scam.
Mr Chidambaram was Finance Minister in 2008 when A Raja allegedly gifted mobile network licenses and frequency to ineligible companies.
A petition by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy says that Mr Chidambaram must be held responsible for allowing the telecom scam on his watch as Finance Minister. A special CBI court has rejected Mr Swamy's request. He has appealed to the Supreme Court against this verdict.
Mr Raja is in jail. The Supreme Court has cancelled 122 licences issued by him and has said that spectrum should have been auctioned instead of being given at no extra cost along with licences.
Mr Swamy says that Mr Chidambaram was aware of Mr Raja's actions. On matters like the pricing of spectrum, he should have intervened to protect the country's interests, Mr Swamy argues.
The second petition has been filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, an NGO. The petition, filed by lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, alleges that Mr Chidambaram as Finance Minister overruled his officers who favoured the auction of spectrum. Mr Bhushan also says that Mr Chidambaram allowed two companies who were allegedly shown undue favour by Mr Raja to sell stake to foreign investors at massive profits on the basis of licences that they had got at hefty bargains. The companies-Swan and Unitech Wireless - say no rules were violated because they did not sell their stake but created additional equity. Swan partnered with UAE-based Etisalat and Unitech with Norwegian company Telenor.
The government has said that both companies operated within the parameters of the law in those partnerships.
Mr Chidambaram was Finance Minister in 2008 when A Raja allegedly gifted mobile network licenses and frequency to ineligible companies.
A petition by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy says that Mr Chidambaram must be held responsible for allowing the telecom scam on his watch as Finance Minister. A special CBI court has rejected Mr Swamy's request. He has appealed to the Supreme Court against this verdict.
Mr Raja is in jail. The Supreme Court has cancelled 122 licences issued by him and has said that spectrum should have been auctioned instead of being given at no extra cost along with licences.
Mr Swamy says that Mr Chidambaram was aware of Mr Raja's actions. On matters like the pricing of spectrum, he should have intervened to protect the country's interests, Mr Swamy argues.
The second petition has been filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, an NGO. The petition, filed by lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, alleges that Mr Chidambaram as Finance Minister overruled his officers who favoured the auction of spectrum. Mr Bhushan also says that Mr Chidambaram allowed two companies who were allegedly shown undue favour by Mr Raja to sell stake to foreign investors at massive profits on the basis of licences that they had got at hefty bargains. The companies-Swan and Unitech Wireless - say no rules were violated because they did not sell their stake but created additional equity. Swan partnered with UAE-based Etisalat and Unitech with Norwegian company Telenor.
The government has said that both companies operated within the parameters of the law in those partnerships.
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