An NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) on Friday filed a petition in the Supreme Court ) seeking a thorough CBI probe into home minister P Chidambaram's role in 2G spectrum allocation case.
The NGO demanded that the investigation should be conducted under close supervision of the Supreme Court and assisted by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and a senior vigilance commissioner.
While making it clear that it was not challenging Judge Saini’s order, CPIL said that it had moved the Supreme Court because it now had “substantial evidence” to show that the Finance Ministry and Chidambaram were “uniquely placed” to stop the 2G spectrum scam.
Chidambaram was the finance minister when the alleged multi-million-rupee scam took place.
The petition alleged that as the then Finance Minister Chidambaram overruled the officers of the finance ministry who had favoured auction/market-based pricing of the spectrum.
“Chidambaram “overruled the officers of his own ministry who favoured auction/market-based pricing of spectrum, and instead allowed the 2G scam to take place and the companies to make windfall profits”, CPIL said.
“The then finance minister, in no time, revised his position from giving away 4.4 Mhz of spectrum at 2001 prices, to giving away 6.2 Mhz of spectrum at 2001 prices thus forcing an additional loss on the exchequer,” It further said.
It may be recalled that special Judge O P Saini had dismissed an application by Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy for a CBI probe into the “role” of Chidambaram on February 2. |