Money trail in 2G spectrum scam covers 10 countries: ED - PTI Dec 8, 2010, 11.

14pm IST
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate, in its report on 2G spectrum allocation scam submitted to the Supreme Court today, is understood to have said that the case has international ramifications as the money trail covers ten countries, including Mauritius. Pointing out that enlisting the cooperation of governments of the ten countries was necessary to trace the money trail, the ED report said it would move a competent court for issuance of Letters Rogatory for the purpose, sources said. The report said the investigation into the scam in the country would be completed by March next year while some more time is required to wrap up the probe in foreign countries, according to the sources. The report said the ED has recorded the statement of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia in connection with the scam and it is carefully examining the same. Earlier in the day, the ED submitted its report on its probe into the scam to the apex court in a sealed cover. Submitting its report to the court, Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal told the bench that it contains details of the investigation since March 9, 2010 in the case that was registered under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act. He said the probe was carried out on the basis of the case related to the scam, registered by CBI on October 21, 2009. The report details the investigation carried out till November 29, 2010.

Overlays to cover up the Spectrum scam by Prof N Natarajan - Feb 1 2011

Suresh Kalmadi is under fire for ordering overlays for the Commonwealth games at exorbitant prices. The Government of India is a quick learner. It has designed its own overlays to cover up the Spectrum scam. The Manmohan Government was caught with its pants down when exposed by the CAG in the 2G-Spectrum allocation and ran for cover. It was also facing inconvenient questions from the CVC at whose behest CBI was enquiring into the case for the last 2 years. The Government was aiming to find a means to cover up the entire matter. Its pliant C & IT Secretary P.J. Thomas was commissioned to neutralise the hostile CVC. He prepared a report theorising that Minister Rajas actions were a matter of policy and CVC and CAG had no business to question them. The Law Ministry chipped in by helpfully adding that CBI to could not investigate matters of policy. By this action the Government had hoped to bury the whole matter. In the meanwhile the earlier CVC retired. This was an excellent opportunity to reinforce the cover up. The government became desperate to appoint P.J. Thomas as the next CVC. Unfortunately there was a hitch. Thomas was an accused in an old Palmolein oil import case in Kerala. His appointment had to be done by a Committee comprising the PM, Home Minister Chidambaram and Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha as per the Supreme Courts edict. Hence the bio-data of Thomas was doctored to omit any mention of the old pending case which would disqualify him. Considering the personal integrity of Manmohan and the legal background of Chidambaram, it is fair to infer that this foul demeaning act was undertaken on

someones dictate, no prizes for guessing whose! The urgency of Thomas appointment was also due to the imminent retirement of the CBI Director Ashwini Kumar, and the urgent need to appoint an equally pliant successor to him, with the assistance of Thomas. Manmohan and Chidambaram tried to bulldoze Sushma Swaraj to approve the choice in a hurriedly called meeting. Unfortunately the plot went horribly wrong. Sushma had been forewarned, since the case against was Thomas was not a secret, but public knowledge. She pleaded with PM and Chidambaram not to appoint a tainted person to the highest constitutional office of CVC. She said OK to any of the other two empanelled candidates or even any other person outside the panel acceptable to them. PM and Chidambaram brazenly insisted on Thomas, making a mockery of the selection process. Failing to conceal the Palmolein case they tried to convince her that the case against Thomas had been closed. They were not prepared to wait even for a day to verify facts. Thomas must be appointed here and now, they insisted in a cavalier manner. Remember, these were the two highest members of Government of India who had sworn by the constitution of India and were expected to uphold it and meticulously follow the rules! Finally they did appoint Thomas against Sushma Swarajs vote of dissent! Very soon pliant Thomas delivered by recommending The Additional Director of CBI as the next Director who would do the bidding of the powers that be and not upset the apple cart.. Unfortunately the appointment of Thomas was challenged in the Supreme Court and he came under the scanner. He had to stay away from the supervision of CBI in the spectrum matter, by far the biggest fraud committed on the country. The CBI was asked to report to the Supreme Court directly. At another level the Government continued with the cover up. Minister of Human Resources Kapil Sibal, the brilliant lawyer who had earlier practised in the Supreme Court, was handpicked by PM to head the Ministry of C & IT and to perform the dirty tricks of obstructing, deflecting and obfuscating the investigation into Rajas misdoings and malign the CAGs report was grossly erroneous. Kapil is at that job vigorously despite incurring the displeasure of the Supreme Court. He called a Press conference and gave an interview to the Governments favourite Channel for a 24/7 coverage proclaiming that the country had not incurred any loss in the Spectrum matter. The drama continues. Supreme Court is questioning the appointment of Thomas in the light of the case pending against him. The government tried to persuade Thomas to resign. He flatly refused. The government cannot force him as he is a Constitutional Authority. The Government tried to wash its hands off. Accordingly the Attorney General clarified to the Supreme Court that the Selection committee of PM, Home minister and Leader of the opposition did not have before them the Palmolein case details. Within minutes Sushma Swaraj threatened to file an affidavit that the case was indeed discussed in detail. Taken aback, Chidambaram has tried to control the damage by making a somersault, supporting the CVC and declaring to the media that he was happy to agree with Sushma Swaraj! CVC has also filed two affidavits, proclaiming his integrity. In one he has said that he is a victim of politics and in the other he has blamed the media for tarnishing his image. Now the ball is in the Supreme Court! Is the Government trying to score a self-goal? The saying is that you can fool all the people for some time and some people for all the time, but not all the people all the time. N Natarajan

Rajas Arrest and Spectrum of Doubts - Feb 3 2011

Spectrum Raja, as he is fondly revered by the Indian press, has been arrested after a much delay and long war of words between the opposition and media with the UPA functionalities including the Prime Minister and the present telecom minister Kapil Sibal. Though the details of kickbacks over the allocation of 2G spectrum and the trail of the scam money (if any) are yet to be probed, the arrest has been seen by some political pundits as a gimmick to appease a section of political spectrum to achieve a long term political gain. As the opposition parties are bent upon for a JPC probe over the spectrum allocation, the arrest of Raja has failed to appease them. With the last winter session going without any useful transactions due to spectrum fiasco, the government is ill-afford to have the budget session too witnessing the same bedlam over the demand of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe. But BJP and Left parties have categorically contended that forming of JPC is the only solution to track down the money and nail the culprits as they feel that the current investigation process may not be impartial. So, the arrest wont help UPA to run the Parliament peacefully during Budget session. Next, as Raja is a strong Dalit face of the Congress ally in Tamil Nadu, which goes to poll in May this year, the arrest will not be taken in right spirit by the DMK top brass, whose leader and CM has just visited New Delhi for a possible seat sharing agreement. This is on the contrary of earlier occasion in 2006 assembly polls when Congress emissaries came down to Chennai for a meeting with Karunanidhi for a possible alliance and seat sharing. The political equation has changed since then and the 2G Scam came as a big blow for the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu. This has surely dented its bargaining power and the party has to forgo a few more seats to Congress. But all would have been well between the two alliance partners if Raja was not arrested before the elections. If one goes by the logic that CBI is not an independent probe agency but acts on the interest of the ruling party or government, Rajas arrest came in an inopportune time when DMK has openly claimed that both DMK and Congress would go to poll together and Karunanidhi even went to Delhi to meet the top brass of Congress for a possible seat sharing formula. However, he came back saying that a Congress Committee is working on a seat sharing giving enough room for a possible undermining rift between the two parties. Even if one say that Congress has acted through CBI to nail down Raja for a possible alliance with DMKs bete noire Jayalalithaa (who has been demanding for Rajas arrest for ages) if DMK failed to provide adequate seats to it, he may not be wrong, looking at the political orientation shaping up in Tamil Nadu. With the spectrum scam alienating DMK in the southern state, small time allies such as VCK, PMK too are contemplating against joining hands with the losing combination. The mood swing was made clear by Dr Ramdoss of Pattali Makkal Katchi, whom the CM had said was the possible alliance partner for the ensuing elections when he visited Delhi last week. Moments later, Ramdoss in Chennai declared that his party has not decided about the alliance. Only a few months back Ramdoss went to Karunanidhis residence with a request of an alliance with DMK and a possible RS seat for his son and former central health minister Anbumani Ramdoss. Within few days everything has changed, thanks to Raja. So, if DMKs fort fell in Tamil Nadu in the assembly elections, it would be only because of Raja. All the welfare schemes introduced solely for the poorest of the poor (of course to garner votes) in the state have been undone by the one man army called spectrum Raja.

The DMK was day-dreaming of retaining power with the help of the goodwill it has earned over the years through pro-poor schemes such as free health insurance, Rs 1 a kg rice, assured jobs for those learned Tamil as language, free colour TV, subsidized housing scheme, energized noon meal scheme, free crche for poor kids, free gold marriage scheme, and several infrastructure schemes for urban and rural poor. One thing the government has failed to address or rather encouraged during the four-and-half year rule is opening of hundreds of thousands of liquor shops across Tamil Nadu under the brand of TASMAC, which has surely spoiled several household and shot up the crime graph in the state. A portion of the money earned though liquor sale has been spent on welfare schemes to appease the poor. But alas, with AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa taking a lead in reminding people of spectrum scam and other irregularities by the state government, the going will be tough for the DMK alliance in the coming assembly polls.

CBI asked to file detailed report on 2G scam - New Delhi, February 5, 2011
The Hindu Former Telecom Minister A. Raja, arrested in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam, being taken back to CBI headquarters after being produced at the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Dr. Swamy says he intends to move an application to implead other persons Looking into a complaint filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy of corruption in the allocation of 2G spectrum and the award of licences, a court here on Saturday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation seeking a detailed report from it by February 22. The agency is probing the same offence against the former Communications Minister, A. Raja, and arrested him on February 2. Dr. Swamy also told the court of his intention to move an application under Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) to implead other persons, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, as accused in his complaint. Special Judge (CBI) Pradeep Chaddah stayed further proceedings on Dr. Swamy's complaint in accordance with Section 210 of the Cr.PC. As per Section 210, when it appears to a magistrate that police investigation is in progress in relation to the same matter, the magistrate must stop proceedings and call for a report from the investigating officer, Mr. Chaddah said. Dr. Swamy told the court that his complaint had a scope wider than the CBI probe, and among the charges he had listed was a threat to the national security from Escalate DB as it allegedly had connections to the InterServices Intelligence of Pakistan. In his order, the judge also directed the CBI to state whether the national security aspect was being covered by its probe.

Meanwhile, appearing for the Comptroller and Auditor-General's office, senior advocate Sandeep Sethi submitted a certified copy of the CAG's report on the award of 2G spectrums and licence which blew the lid off the scam. On January 22, the court summoned the CAG on Dr. Swamy's application seeking him to appear as witness in his complaint.

Another Disgusting Scam - Feb 10 2011

If you count scientists in the country most of them are associated or connected with the activities of Department of Space. The DOS is now mired in Spectrum allocation scam after two successive failures of GSLV. The report even if partly true, casts sorry state of mind set of intelligentsia. All involved in the activity of leasing S-Band to Devas are recognized persons. This company Devas has already investment from different international venture capitalists. This scam prima facie looks like more serious than 2G scam. It is like subletting the property without getting the consent of the owner. ISRO got SBand after negotiation with different authorities. Subsequently it has C-Band, Ku band. Will these bandwidths also be given to the private operators? Another point how a government primarily Research and Development Department comes under the Penalty clause in case of delay in delivery of Satellites? Major components in a satellite are imported. The import is subject to much negotiation. Has Devas taken the responsibility of supplying critical components? The CEO of Devas has worked as Scientific Secretary of DOS. He must have been associated with the import of these components. Normally Scientific secretary is aware of all bricks and mortar of the department. What the top scientists were doing in the Space Commission and ISRO council? Are they going to say that they are like non-executive directors as had come up in Satyam Scam? The public memory (as well as those of reporters attending the press briefings) is very short. Immediately after the last GSLV failure, in the press conference the launch of GSAT 6 and GSAT 6A was announced. If we recollect we may remember very senior officer of prime ministers office has visited different ISRO establishments in last one year. Planning commission vice chairman was present during the last years successful PSLV launch. In the press conference after the S-band scam, the credibility of ISRO was highlighted. After the last GSLV failure , a sarcastic comment in one of the international weekly had appeared that the launch site should not have access to the common man. The hidden sarcasm behind this comment is evident. It was informed that the government was not informed about the contract. As per the ISRO site present chairman has a MBA degree also from one of the IIMs. He must have been aware about the protocols from the beginning. Something is hidden also. The penalty clause will be not only with Devas for cancelling contract but also with ESA (European Space Agency) for cancelling the launch of GSAT6 and GSAT6A from their launch station in South America using Arianne launch vehicle. The Indo-French negotiations may have to be made at the highest level. One good thing is that people will forget about this scam in due course of time and many prominent scientists will come forward in defence of the scientists of DOS. Only unfortunate part will be the credibility of our scientists will be eroded sufficiently as the details starts coming out to the light.

The Prime Minister and the 2G Spectrum Allocation - May 9

The 2G Spectrum allocation has created a lot of questions amongst the Public. It is really astonishing that the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister Mr.P.Chidambaram are trying to keep themselves away from the infamy allocations. The entire Cabinet has to take responsibilty for the decisions taken by any Minister. They cannot say that the particular Minister has not followed the instructions of the Prime Minister. If the Minister does not follow the instructions of the Prime Minister then either he must be sacked for violation or the Prime Minister must own responsibility. It is the Constitutional responsibilty of the Prime Minister to oversee the duties of his Minister and to check if there is any deviation in conduct of his duty. It is not sufficient to say that I am clean and I have not taken money. Is it OK if he is a silent spectator for all the misdeeds being carried out right under his nose? So the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister Mr.P.Chidambaram are equally liable for the alleged actions carried out by Mr.Raja. It is further shocking to note that Ms.Kanimozhi DMK MP has been charge-sheeted as a co-conspirator. How come a person who does not have any authority has influenced in the decision - making process? For this the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is answerable. It is similar to the Pakistan Government and the ISI both swearing in that they were totally unaware of the presence of Osama Bin Laden just abutting the Military Academy Compound. If a person who does not have any authority has been invovled in the decision-making then the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh must be held solely responsible for all the irregularities in the 2G Spectrum allocation and his name must also figure in the Charge sheet. Otherwise the future rulers will also follow the footsteps of Dr.Manmohan Singh and try to escape with a plea that they were helpless in controlling their Ministerial colleagues.

IS KANIMOZHI TO BE GIVEN LIFE IMPRISONMENT? - May 21 2011

Television channels and newspapers are going overboard with Kanimozhis arrest as if she has been handed a life imprisonment. I can remember the same thing happened with Actor Sanjay Dutt, who was arrested on account of terror charges. The media gave a 24x7 account of Sanjay Dutts life inside the person. Today, he lives hale and hearty shooting films and minting money while his appeals keep pending in higher courts. No one dares to question the follow-up of such cases. Neither Subramaniam Swamy is bothered, nor Anna Hazare. Several politicians to bureaucrats to film stars charged with serious cases either get bail or keep free from jail till their appeals are pending in the higher courts. I won't be surprised if the 2G scam too goes this way. Apart from these high profile personalities, due to the inadequate courts and judges and the legal system that puts a person behind bars before conviction, the countrys jails are packed with ordinary under trials. No Jethmalinis or big shot lawyers fight for these under trials, as it does not make business sense. The rich and the powerful people manage to get out of bail and enjoy a free life. The rest languish in prison because they cannot afford bail or good lawyers and dont know the modalities. Violations of Section 144 and similar sections, be it rape or ticketless travel, the punishment is always imprisonment or fine. The law is outdate and there is no alternative ways to punish. There are countries where the law provides for community social work as punishment for first time offenders and those who commit minor offences. In India, the majority of court hearings are ineffective and merely dates are given. Witnesses often remain absent in hearings. The complainants are the most harassed lot, and face a fate far worse than the accused. There is a shortage of judges and many of the existing posts are lying vacant. Studies say that in India, there are 10 judges for a million people. If the system condemns too many to prison, it also does not provide

enough prisons for them. The Prisons Act of 1894 is still followed in India. Every reform has to come through court orders, but even these are not always followed. The purpose of sending a person to jail is to reform him. But we are making these more under trials even more hard-core criminals while the actual hard-core criminals are let free. Under trials are kept along with the convicts in jails. Hence they come into contact with these convicts and become criminals themselves. These under trials are forced to work by the convicted criminals, who enjoy the position of a 'senior' in jails. The caste system is also rampant in jails. The prison takes away all the liberty and dignity of an under trial and contaminates him. Such an atmosphere prevalent in jails converts a petty offender into a criminal or antisocial. Let Prisons be the last option and let they be reserved for serial offenders. Prisons should not be allowed to function as breeding grounds for future criminals. Kanimozhi may be in jail today, but lives a far better life than the ordinary under trials. To know more about Kanimozhi, I would like to take the liberty to share Vaidyanathan Pushpagiri's comments on the main blog itself who was kind enough to pass on the information that appeared in today's TOI.

Candle lighters cannot be corruption fighters-2G scam needs more aggressive response from Public to recover the loot - May 22 2011
Not many of you may know the famous four Damodar, Balkrishna , Vasudev Chaphekar (three brothers)and Mahadev Ranade. These four freedom fighters gave away their lives for the country. The place was Pune. There was an epidemic of plague in Pune. One British officer named Rand harassed the people of Pune, entered their houses, treated men and women brutally, offended their sentiments The three Chaphekar brothers executed The British Officer Rand and then they with Mahadev Ranade eliminated one Dravid was a traitor who helped British officers The important point is the three Chaphekar Brothers & Ranade did not light Candles. We could not have got freedom had there been only candle lighters then. Candle lighters are new age version of STayagrahis. You may call them an impotent new version. They may light 100 crore candles but not a single rupee of the 2G scam loot of Rs.170000crores will be recovered. Candle lighters cannot be corruption fighters. There are blatant cases of corruption at every level in the country today. But only candle lighting and recourse to RTI act will not help. Nor Opportunists like Anna Hazare will be of help. They opt for 6 fasts up to death every year. They are exhibitionists. Once they break there (mostly) three day old fast, they go into hibernation till their next fast unto death comes around We need strong willed Political leaders to fight corruption. We have yet to identify who is that person. Till then we have to depend on Supreme Court to get justice

Kanimozhi Rules Tihar - Jun 2 2011

After A Raja and DMK patriarch's darling daughter Kanimozhi, Tihar jail in Delhi is gearing itself to welcome one more top DMK leader from Tamil Nadu. In a shocking and daring robbery, a central minister from Tamil Nadu got 323 BSNL telephone lines connected to his home, not in Delhi where he had work, but in Chennai where he had none. He got all the lines listed not in his name but in the name of the Chief General Manager BSNL Chennai. These lines virtually constituted a telephone exchange in the minister's home. No marks for guessing the name... the minister is none other than the present textile minister Dayanidhi Maran. The CBI, which probed the fraud, has written to the Secretary Telecom, recommending action against Maran. Maran , who is already in the thick of controversy over his involvement in 2G spectrum allocation when he was serving as central minister for telecommunication in 2006, will have to battle the new allegation and if all goes well, he will soon cool his heels in Tihar jail along with his party compatriots Raja and Kanimozhi. But will jail life ever bother these high-profile politician-turned-criminals? From the reports trickling in from media it has been learnt that Raja and Kanimozhi are having a jolly-good time in jail. While Raja is spending time by playing badminton with inmates, reading Tamil newspapers, watching favourite television programmes, eating home-made food all three times and chatting with new-found friends and doing yoga to keep his body and soul on high, Kanimozhi has chosen different route to spend her time with inmates. Lodged in jail number 6, along with 475 female inmates, Kanimozhi has become quite popular within a short span of time. She is keeping herself busy by playing a do-gooder to the hilt. She lends a patient hearing to her fellow prisoners' problems, and also taking them to jail authorities. Inmates have started looking up to her. They stand in a queue every morning and bid her good bye when she leaves for court from the jail every morning. She too get VIP treatment in jail having home-made food, watching television, reading books and passing time by chatting with inmates. By all possibilities, these people once come out of jail will play a crucial role in Tamil Nadu politics. So, DMK is not bothering too much for Kanimozhi and Raja as of now. The more they are inside, the more gain they are going to get by way of peoples sympathy. Ultimately, lawyers are going to prove their innocence in the Apex Court and get them out and 2G scam will become the thing of the past before the next elections. Though its too early to predict, DMK cadres believe that Kanimozhi will play a vital role in DMKs coming back to power in the next assembly elections, sitting on sympathy wave. She may even vie for CMs post pushing aside her two powerful brothers - former deputy chief minister MK Stalin and Union Minister MK Azhagiri. Though its thumbs down for DMK for the time being, the party will cash in the situation to its favour and may even bounce back to reckoning in Tamil Nadu. In Indian politics, anything is possible! Isnt it?