New Delhi, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, one of the petitioners in the 2G scam, has accused the income tax and the customs and central excise departments of harassing witnesses in the 2G scam. In a letter to the prime minister on Monday, Swamy said S S Palanimanickam, minister of state for finance who belongs to DMK, was using various departments such as the income tax and the customs and central excise to harass witnesses. "I am getting reports that on the directions given by Shri S S Palanimanickam, the officers of these wings of the department are harassing witnesses of the 2G spectrum case. Incidents have come to my knowledge that officers have gone to the residences and work places of relatives of the witnesses with a message that these relatives should give statements against the witnesses to the effect that the witnesses hold income excess to their known sources of income," Swamy wrote to the prime minister. "The officers of customs & central excise department have also been misused by Shri S S Palanimanickam to threaten the relatives of witnesses who are doing businesses in various places," Swamy wrote. The Janata Party president was one of the ...
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Mumbai, A day after the trial court dismissed his petition against Union home minister P Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum case, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Sunday said that the "trial court judge is good, but he got it wrong". Speaking on '2G scam and its implications' at Shivaji Park, Swamy said, "I will take the fight to the Supreme Court. In the next two to three months, I will prove in the apex court that the allegations levelled by me against Chidambaram are logical and correct." "Two UPA ministers-Chidambaram and ex-telecom minister A Raja-together decided that spectrum allocation would be done on the basis of the pricing decided in 2001. If Raja is criminally liable, then why not Chidambaram? The Union home minister could be guilty and it is possible that he is criminally liable," he said. Talking about the trial court's dismissal of his petititon against Chidambaram, he said, "First 60 paras of the court order are in my favour and the last three in Chidambaram's. Trial court judge is good, but he got it wrong. God knows the reason. There is something fishy that has happened." Explaining the reason behind his decision to make Chidambaram a party to ...
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New Delhi, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy said he was confident that judgement would be delivered later Saturday after a trial court deferred his plea on the alleged role of Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum case till 12.15 p.m. "I am confident that the judgment will be delivered today. I can sense the ambience inside the court," Swamy told a news channel. Swamy had filed a plea seeking direction to the CBI to probe the role of Chidambaram, the then finance minister, in fixing 2G licence prices and the grant of spectrum. Swamy said he is prepared to go to the higher court if the judgment doesn't come his way. "If the judgment doesn't come my way, I will go to the high court," he said. The Supreme Court had said Thursday that the trial court would decide on Swamy's plea to make Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G spectrum allotment case. ...
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New Delhi, In a major setback for the government, the Supreme Court on Thursday quashed all 122 spectrum licences granted after January 2008. The apex court left it open for the trial court to decide whether home minister P Chidambaram needs to probed in the 2G scam. The SC said that there was no need for SIT to monitor the 2G scam probe. The SC verdicts came on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged role of home minister P Chidambaram in the spectrum scam, and on two pleas by lawyer Prashant Bhushan seeking cancellation of 2G licences and setting up of an SIT to monitor probe into the scam. Swamy has demanded a CBI probe into the role of Chidambaram with regard to the 2G scam. The Janata Party chief, who is the petitioner in the 2G case, has alleged that Chidambaram, then the finance minister, could have prevented jailed former telecom minister A Raja from giving away spectrum at throwaway prices to select companies, but chose not to do so. Swamy had won a success in the court on Tuesday when Justices Singhvi and Ganguly upheld his right to seek the prosecution of Raja for the 2G scam and indicted the PMO for ...
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New Delhi, Calling it a big victory for India's constitution, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy Tuesday welcomed the apex court order setting a three-month deadline for the government to sanction an application seeking prosecution of a public servant for corruption. "I am happy today by the fact that I visualise that it is possible to win war against corruption. The thorniest issue of sanction (to prosecute a corrupt official) has been simplified by the court order," Swamy told reporters here. He said the sanction was a big hurdle as the prime minister did not reply for 16 months to his application seeking sanction for prosecution of former telecom minister A. Raja for alleged involvement in the 2G scam. Explaining about the court order, Swamy said: "The delay won't be accepted beyond three months as the government has to decide on sanction and if they want to consult the attorney general, then one month more. So maximum within four months it has to be decide, else it will be treated as deemed sanction." He urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately bring an ordinance amending Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which seeks a sanction from ...
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New Delhi, The Supreme Court judgment setting a three-month deadline for the government for sanctioning the prosecution of public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act was a slap in the government's face, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday. “BJP welcomes Supreme Court's judgment. This judgment is a slap in the face of Dr. Manmohan Singh government,” senior party leader Balbir Punj told reporters. "It is a a judgment which will have far reaching consequences, in the citizens' fight against corruption and in empowering the citizens," he said. He called it the second major embarrassment for government, and said the first was the Supreme Court striking down the appointment of P.J. Thomas as chief vigilance commissioner. “The first embarrassment this government faced was when prime minister had cleared Mr. (P.J.) Thomas's candidature as the CVC chief,” he said. Punj also accused the government of not taking action against those involved in major corruption cases. “Many people who are guilty and accused of acts of omission and commission are going scott free,” he said. “In the 2G case, so far only (A) Raja has been sent to ...
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New Delhi, The Delhi High Court Monday granted anticipatory bail to Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, accused of writing an inflammatory article in a newspaper, after he gave an undertaking that he will not write any such articles in future. Granting anticipatory bail to Swamy, Justice M.L. Mehta said: "I appreciate that you acted responsibly today by giving an undertaking." "Though writing an article based on a book is a fundamental right of a citizen but this right has to be observed with certain reasonable restrictions which have to be taken care of," the court said. Disposing of the case, the court asked Swamy to furnish personal and security bonds of Rs.25,000 each. "In the event of arrest, he shall be released on furnishing of a personal bond and a surety of Rs.25,000 each," Swamy moved court seeking anticipatory bail in the case registered by Delhi police against him Oct 3, 2011, for his article in which he suggested that voting rights of Indian Muslims be revoked. The Harvard-educated economics scholar in the article 'How to wipe out Islamic terror', published July 17, 2011 had suggested that Indian Hindus collectively respond to terror ...
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New Delhi, A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Saturday reserved its order on a plea by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy to haul Home Minister P. Chidambaram to court in the 2G spectrum case. "The order is reserved for Feb 4," said special CBI judge O.P. Saini. Swamy had said: "This evidence reveals the connivance, collusion and consent of the then finance minister Chidambaram in the decision taken by the then telecom minister A. Raja on the matter of fixing prices of spectrum licences and the matter of permitting companies who received licences." Swamy said two companies which received the telecom licences sold their shares to others even before the rollout of their services. He had said the evidence brings on record a commission of offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Chidambaram was the finance minister in the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government when the spectrum saga began. Swamy sought to prosecute Chidambaram in the case, saying the decision on spectrum pricing was taken in 2008 jointly by him and Raja, who has been lodged in the Tihar Jail here since Feb 2, 2011. He alleged that Chidambaram and Raja were ...
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New Delhi, Seeking to make Home Minister P. Chidambaram a party to the 2G spectrum case, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy Saturday submitted the certified copies of documents and concluded his arguments. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge O.P. Saini, after hearing Swamy's plea for prosecution of Chidambaram in the 2G case, listed the matter for Jan 21 for final arguments. "This evidence reveals the connivance, collusion and consent of the then finance minister Chidambaram in the decision taken by the then telecom minister A. Raja on the matter of fixing prices of spectrum licences and the matter of permitting companies who received licences," Swamy said. Chidambaram was the finance minister in the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government when the spectrum saga began. Swamy sought to make Chidambaram a party in the case, saying the decision on spectrum pricing was taken in 2008 jointly by him and Raja, who has been lodged in the Tihar Jail here since Feb 2. He alleged that Chidambaram and Raja were equally guilty of recommending spectrum prices based on 2001 rates. Swamy had earlier submitted three documents for seeking the ...
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New Delhi, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Saturday told a Delhi court that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram should be made an accused in the 2G case as he had jointly taken the decision of spectrum prices with former Telecom Minister A Raja. Testifying as a witness in support of his private complaint, Swamy said A. Raja could not be held guilty "alone" of the charges that he fixed the price of spectrum licence in 2008 at the prevailing rates of 2001. "Raja could not be guilty alone, he committed this offence with the active connivance of P Chidambaram," Swamy told Special CBI Judge O P Saini. The court had on December 8 allowed Swamy to testify himself in support of his private complaint seeking Chidambaram''s prosecution in the case. Chidambaram has been at the centre of political storm ever since certain reports revealed his alleged role in ''''deciding'''' the prices of 2G-spectrum during his earlier tenure as the Finance Minister, thus embroiling him in the telecom scam. His name cropped up in a recent letter of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which Mukherjee blamed his predecessor for not sticking to ...
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New Delhi, Reacting to the Delhi Court order that allowed Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to become a witness in his complaint against Home Minister P. Chidambaram in connection with the 2G telecom scam case, Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday said that there was no case against Chidambaram. “There is no case against Chidambaram. Court has not yet given any indication as to it agrees to a case against Chidambaram or not. So, there is no need for Chidambaram for resign," he told the media here. “Chidambaram is a part of the Government. We all are a part of the Government. Please respect a person’s dignity. This is not any decision, Steps are taken to proceed further. It cannot be called as a decision,” he added He further slammed the Opposition for demanding Chidambaram’s resignation saying that their behaviour was "not acceptable". “We cant change the law of the country, we cant change it according to the way the opposition wants,” he said. A Delhi Court today allowed Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to become a witness in his complaint against Chidambaram in connection with the 2G telecom scam case. The court told Swamy to appear in ...
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