In what could potentially be a political setback for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the Supreme Court ticked off Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his inaction on corruption allegations against former telecom minister A Raja.
The apex court was referring to the letter to the PM from Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy where he sought sanction to have Raja indicted over corruption charges; the PM responded after 16 months without taking a stand.
Comptroller and auditor general has criticised former telecom minister A Raja for favouring industrial houses, and said he allotted the spectrum by ignoring the prime minister’s advice and incurred a loss of Rs1.76 trillion.
2G spectrum allocation, the CAG reports says
• lacked transparency
• was arbitrary, unfair and inequitable
• flouted every canon of finanacial propriety, rules and procedures
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The following is a chronology of how the 2G scam began and the journey so far
14 May 2011 | In a sort of anti-climax, a special court on Saturday prolonged the suspense on the bail application of DMK MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case by deferring the pronouncement of its order till 20 May. Read story
09 May 2011 | The CBI will conclude in three months its probe in the 2G spectrum allocation scam and file two more chargesheets carrying names of alleged accused firms in the case. Read story
07 May 2011 | Keeping the suspense on, a Delhi special court on Saturday reserved orders on DMK MP Kanimozhi’s bail plea after the CBI strongly opposed it saying she is “controlling everything” in Kalaignar TV, which got Rs200 crore from Dynamix Balwa group, from behind the scene. Read story
06 May 2011 | In their bid to defend K. Kanimozhi, a member of Parliament and daughter of Tamil Nadu chief minister K. Karunanidhi, her legal team implicitly implicated former telecom minister A. Raja for alleged wrongdoings in the allocation of second-generation (2G) telecom licences. Read story
• The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices for contempt to Sahara India Investment Corporation’s managing director, Subroto Roy,Sahara India Media Ltd’s editor Upendra Rai and Sahara Samay reporter Subodh Jain for allegedly blackmailing an officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and thereby hindering his investigation of the 2G spectrum scam. Read story
05 May 2011 | The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday stepped up its verbal attack on home minister P. Chidambaram and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his alleged role in the irregular allotments of second-generation (2G) spectrum. Read story
• Rajya Sabha MP and Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi will on Friday appear before a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court hearing the telecom spectrum allocation case. Read story
• The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over the tardy pace of probe by the Income Tax department into the tax evasion cases linked to 2G spectrum case, saying it wanted “results”. Read story
04 May 2011 | The income tax department has found instances of alleged tax evasion and “multiple routing” of undeclared wealth in the 2G spectrum allocation scam and will file its first status report on the probe in the case in the Supreme Court on Thursday. Read story
03 May 2011 | The Delhi high court on Tuesday refused to hear the bail plea of Cineyug Films director Karim Morani, chargesheeted by the CBI in the 2G spectrum case, and asked him to approach the trial court first. Read story
01 May 2011 | The Income Tax (IT) department will file its first status report on investigation into tax evasion in the 2G spectrum allocation scam on Tuesday in the Supreme Court. Read story
30 April 2011 | Unfazed by the ‘rejection’ of the draft report on 2G scam, PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday submitted it to Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar on the last day of his term as head of the Committee. Read story
29 April 2011 | A day before the tenure of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is due to end, the government and the opposition, in an indication of growing friction, mounted verbal attacks on each other on Friday over the House panel’s inquiry into the allocation of second-generation telecom spectrum. Read story
28 April 2011 | In an unprecedented move, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) members in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have rejected a draft report prepared by panel chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on irregularities in the allocation of the second-generation (2G) spectrum licences. Read story
• The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) met here on Thursday with its chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying the report on 2G spectrum scam was on agenda and will be discussed on merit. Read story
27 April 2011 | The draft report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has indicted former telecom minister A. Raja and blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to prevent irregularities in the allocation of second-generation (2G) telecom licences. Read story
• The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) did not walk out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre on Wednesday over the 2G issue and decided to fight the case legally. Read story
26 April 2011 | The CBI is likely to approach the Supreme Court to extend the 31 May deadline to file the third chargesheet in the 2G spectrum scam. Read story
• The Delhi high court said on Tuesday it will resume on 29 April a hearing for bail applications of five business executives charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a multi-billion dollar 2G spectrum scam case. Read story
25 April 2011 | The scandal-scarred United Progressive Alliance (UPA) suffered a fresh setback on Monday, after twin blows by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the federal investigating agency. Read story
24 April 2011| The CBI, in its second chargesheet likely to be filed tomorrow, may name Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, wife Dayalu Ammal and several others for allegedly getting benefits out of the allocation of 2G spectrum to certain telecom firms. Read Story
23 April 2011 | Former telecom minister A. Raja and two corporate honchos, who have been chargesheeted in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam case, on Saturday complained to a Delhi court that documents supplied to them by the CBI were incomplete. Read Story
21 April 2011 | Delhi High Court on Thursday deferred a hearing on bail pleas of five business executives charged in one of India’s biggest corruption scandals that has undermined the government and business sentiment in Asia’s third-largest economy. Read Story
• The impasse over the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on alleged irregularities in second-generation (2G) spectrum allocation continued as the ruling Congress party stuck to its position that the matter should be probed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to investigate the issue. Read Story
20 April 2011 | A court on Wednesday rejected bail applications of five business executives involved in one of India’s biggest corruption scandals, pushing forward a case that has undermined the government and business sentiment in Asia’s third largest economy. Read Story
15 April 2011 | A court on Friday reserved till 20 April its order on the bail plea of five corporate executives, accused in the 2G spectrum scam, after CBI argued that they be sent to jail as the fear of witnesses being won over or influenced is there. Read Story
• The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) probe into second-generation (2G) spectrum allocation irregularities hit a new hurdle on Friday with members on the panel from the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) challenging the functioning of the panel as a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) is conducting an enquiry into the same issue. Read Story
• Despite failing 14 eligibility conditions, Swan Telecom was given a second chance following the personal intervention of former telecom minister A. Raja, a scrutiny of the documents of the department of telecommunications (DoT) and the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) shows. Read Story
13 April 2011 | Five corporate honchos, who have been named in the charge sheet in the 2G spectrum case, on Wednesday moved bail pleas in a Delhi court which asked the CBI to file its replies. Read Story
• A court on Wednesday put on trial the first set of officials and businessmen indicted in the country’s biggest corruption case, a multi-billion dollar telecom scandal that has weakened the government and put off some foreign investors. Read Story
11 April 2011 | The Supreme Court on Monday directed the government to appoint senior advocate U. U. Lalit as special public prosecutor for the trial of 2G spectrum case involving former telecom minister A. Raja and others. Read Story
• In what could lead to a redrawing of the Indian telecom sector in three years, minister for communications and information technology Kapil Sibal said on Monday that an operator would have to apply 30 months in advance of the expiry of its licence for renewal. The renewed licence will only be valid for 10 years, half the lifespan of existing ones. Read Story
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may send a joint team to Cyprus and Mauritius to follow the money trail linking those allegedly involved in wrongdoing in the allocation of second-generation (2G) telecom spectrum. Read Story
3 April 2011 | The stage is set for the start of a criminal trial that will bring crony capitalism under scrutiny after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its first chargesheet over alleged wrongdoing in the allotment of second-generation (2G) telecom licences, implicating one of India’s most high-profile business groups, its second biggest real estate company and a prominent politician among others. Read Story
1 April 2011 | Senior advocate Uday U. Lalitwill be the special public prosecutor in the second-generation (2G) spectrum case, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel K.K. Venugopaltold the Supreme Court on Friday. Read Story
29 March 2011 | The CBI on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that telecom companies - Swan Telecom and Loop Telecom - were used as front companies by established telecom players to get 2G spectrum illegally during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja. Read Story
• Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani will appear before a parliamentary committee that is probing a multi-billion-dollar telecom licencing scandal, their companies said in separate statements. Read Story
28 March 2011 | DB Realty, which is embroiled in the 2G spectrum probe, on Monday said its director Sundaram Rajagopal has stepped down, making him the fourth board member to quit since February. Read Story
• Parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC) has summoned corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and Tata group chairperson Ratan Tata on 4 April to discuss their role in the 2G spectrum allocation case. Read Story
25 March 2011 | A Delhi court on Friday transferred the private complaint of Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy in the 2G spectrum case to the special court constituted by the Supreme Court to deal with all cases related to the scam. Read Story
23 March 2011 | The CBI will examine officials of Loop Telecom, under the scanner in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, about their meeting with the Indian high commissioner to Mauritius during which they had sought details of Letters Rogatory sent by the agency in connection with its probe. Read Story
22 March 2011 | The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may name former telecom minister A. Raja, Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar, former managing director of DB Realty LtdShahid Balwa and other arrested accused in its first chargesheet in the second-generation (2G) spectrum allocation case to be filed before a special court on 31 March. Read Story
• Quick Edit |Completing the deck
17 March 2011 | The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on petitions seeking cancellation of 122 licences of telecom operators who allegedly benefited in the 2G spectrum allocation scam during the tenure of former telecom Minister A. Raja. Read Story
• The death of former telecom minister A Raja’s key aide Sadiq Batcha was due to asphyxia and his body showed compression of the neck with hanging mark, a doctor who conducted the post-mortem said on Thursday. Read Story
16 March 2011 | The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the government to clarify if its first-come-first-served policy for spectrum allocation was evolved by Trai or the department of telecommunication following conflicting versions. Read Story
• Chennai-based realtor Sadhick Batcha, a close aide of jailed former telecom minister A Raja, was declared dead after he was found hanged at his home on Wednesday, police said. There was no immediate clarity on whether the death was a suicide. Read Story
• The probe into the 2G scam led CBI to the doors of country’s top law officer Attorney General G E Vahanvati and RBI Governor D Subbarao whose statements were recorded by the agency in connection with the multi-crore spectrum allocation. Read Story
11 March 2011 | Widening its probe into the 2G scam, the CBI on Friday questioned DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi and his wife Dayalu Ammal on alleged transfer of money from Mumbai-based Cineyug to Kalaignar TV, in which both jointly own 80% stake. Read Story
10 March 2011 | The joint parliamentary committee (JPC), constituted to probe the 2G spectrum scam, will have its first meeting on 24 March. Read Story
7 March 2011 | DB Realty on Monday said that it has accepted the resignation of its managing director and director of the company Shahid Balwa with effect from 9 February 2011. Read Story
4 March 2011 | The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will start fixing the criminal culpability of telecom companies being probed for their involvement in the second-generation (2G) telecom spectrum allocation scandal within two weeks, and include this in the draft chargesheet to be filed before the Supreme Court (SC), two senior officials at the investigative agency said. Read Story
1 March 2011 | Jailed former telecom minister A Raja’s plea to participate in the proceedings in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case against him through video- conferencing was on Tuesday allowed by a Delhi court. Read Story
28 February 2011 | Every which way you look at it, this year’s Union budget is very important. Consumers, who rarely count midway through a government’s term, are looking for relief from inflation and governance failures; similarly, the growing legion of impatient youth (50% of India is less than 35 years of age) needs jobs. Indian industry, despite its newly acquired chutzpah, will not say no to sops, but would rather that the government provided clarity on crucial tax reform that’s pending. Read Story
24 February 2011 | The congress-led UPA on Thursday announced a 30-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine ”policy prescriptions and their interpretation” by successive governments in the allocation and pricing of telecom licences and spectrum from 1998 to 2009. Read Story
22 February 2011 | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh succumbed to opposition pressure for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into second-generation (2G) spectrum allocation, a decision that may pose a political problem for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Read Story
21 February 2011 | The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday questioned promoters of the Videocon group, Venugopal Dhoot and his brother and Rajya Sabha member Rajkumar Dhoot, over their alleged links with the so-called second-generation (2G) spectrum allocation scam. Read Story
20 February 2011 | Investigations into the allocation of second-generation (2G) mobile spectrum, thus far confined to politicians and companies, have been widened to the lenders who financed the telecom firms. Read Story
• Quick Edit |A chance for reforms
19 February 2011 | As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at Kalaignar TV Pvt. Ltd in Chennai on Friday as part of investigations into alleged wrongdoing in the allocation of second-generation (2G) telecom spectrum, another phone company’s links to the television house came under scrutiny. Read Story
18 February 2011 | Former telecom minister A Raja and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, arrested for their role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, were “evasive” and “hiding real facts” during questioning, the CBI told a Delhi court on Friday. Read Story
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Prashant Ruia, chief executive officer of Essar Group, on Thursday as part of inquiries into the allocation of second-generation (2G) mobile spectrum in 2008. Read Story
17 February 2011 | Former telecom minister A Raja, arrested for his alleged role in 2G Spectrum allocation scam, was sent to Tihar Jail by a Delhi court on Thursday under 14-days’ judicial custody. Read Story
• He blamed the opposition for holding up economic reforms, he blamed the compulsions of coalition politics for corruption, and he just about refused to take responsibility for everything—and so, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with television journalists failed to enthuse investors, the stock markets, political analysts, and, expectedly, the opposition parties. Read Story
16 February 2011 | Amid charges and counter charges by telecom operators over 2G spectrum allocation between 2001 and 2009, Bharti group chairman Sunil Mittal has asked the service providers to exercise restraint and not to make any statement while the probe is on. Read Story
• After the clearest signal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on JPC formation to probe 2G spectrum scam, government on Wednesday made a fresh bid to end deadlock in Parliament as finance minister Pranab Mukherjee met BJP leaders who insisted that JPC should announced on 22 February to enable the House to function normally. Read Story
• Edit |Plumbing a new low
15 February 2011 | The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned on Tuesday the managing director of Unitech Ltd Sanjay Chandra over a telecom corruption scandal, Binita Thakur, a spokeswoman for the CBI said. Read Story
14 February 2011 | Keen to see that the budget session of Parliament commences on a smooth note, Congress on Monday gave indications that it might not be averse to a JPC to probe the 2G scam if the opposition is ready for a prior debate and agree to modalities for such an inquiry. Read Story
• Former telecom minister A. Raja was on Monday remand for three more days by a Delhi court which also extended the custody of Swan telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa for four days in the 2G spectrum case after the CBI said it wanted to confront them on the money trail. Read Story
13 February 2011 | Banks lending to real estate companies could grind to a halt after two major realtors were linked to ongoing investigations into the telecom spectrum scam. Read Story
• Under the scanner for its alleged association with Swan Telecom, Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications on Sunday said it only held 9.9% equity share capital in the firm at the time of applying for 2G licences and asserted that it did not violate any norms. Read Story
11 February 2011 | The Supreme Court on Thursday dramatically raised the profile of the judicial intervention into the alleged scam involving the allotment of second-generation (2G) telecom spectrum by stating that the case deserved to be dealt with by a special court and at the same time asked for the arrest of all beneficiaries. Read Story
9 February 2011 | Swan Telecom and Unitech Telecom companies had together caused a loss of over Rs7,000 crore to government exchequer as both had offloaded their shares for hefty sums after getting the 2G spectrum, alleges CBI. Read Story
• Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the vice chairman of a joint venture between a local firm and Abu Dhabi’s Etisalat in connection to a massive telecoms scandal that has crippled the government. Read Story
8 February 2011 | Former telecom minister A. Raja was on Tuesday remanded to two more days of CBI custody by a court for further interrogation after the agency submitted that he was not divulging any “useful information” regarding his role in the 2G scam. Read Story
4 February 2011 | A one-man panel inquiry into a massive telecom scandal in awarding 2G licences has found many procedural lapses, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said on Friday. Read Story
• Former telecom minister A. Raja will be in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for five days after a special court on Thursday said the agency could keep him for sustained interrogation due to his alleged role in the second-generation (2G) scam. Read Story
3 February 2011 | The CBI on Thursday accused former telecom minister A Raja of causing a loss of Rs22,000 crore to the exchequer by favouring some telecom firms in award of the 2G spectrum licences and demanded his custody for five days, which a city court granted. Read Story
2 February 2011 | As news of Raja’s arrest came in, the DMK and AIADMK seemed fully prepared for it, with no disturbances to the city. Some stone throwing and disruption of bus services were reported in Perambalur, Raja’s hometown. Read Story
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested former telecom minister A. Raja for his alleged involvement in the so-called 2G scam, but the move is unlikely to win the beleaguered United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government a respite from the attacks it has been facing from the opposition. Read Story
21 January 2011 | The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday asked telecom minister Kapil Sibal to deal with issues related to the controversial allocation of telecom spectrum with “some sense of responsibility”, in reaction to his criticism of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the subject. Read Story
• Edit |Another nail in 2G coffin
29 December 2010 | Legal battles involving corporate czars like the Ambanis and Tatas figured prominently in the Supreme Court in 2010, but it was the Niira Radia controversy that threw the light on the corporate prowess in certain quarters of the government, already under fire over a telecom scam. Read Story
28 December 2010 | India’s two largest political parties, the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday continued to wrangle in public over how to investigate alleged irregularities in the allocation of second-generation (2G) telecom spectrum and licences. Read Story
27 December 2010 | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday wrote to the public accounts committee (PAC) probing alleged irregularities in the allocation of second generation (2G) telecom spectrum, saying he was willing to appear before it. Read Story
24 December 2010 | Sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday questioned the former telecom minister over 2G spectrum allocation scandal, a move the government hopes will help ease a crippling political row with the Opposition. Read Story
22 December 2010 | The controversy over the allocation of second-generation (2G) spectrum to telecom companies and the increased scrutiny on loans given by state-run banks for the licences tied to this has dented the confidence of lenders. Read Story
21 December 2010 | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resorted to a Roman analogy to defend himself from allegations of inaction relating to the ongoing second-generation (2G) controversy but signalled, in a speech to his partymen at Burari in north-west Delhi, that his government, while pursuing punitive action against those found guilty of graft, would not give in to the opposition’s demand for an investigation by a joint parliamentary committee into irregularities in the 2008 allocation of spectrum and licences to telcos. Read Story
20 December 2010 | Quick Edit | A Roman in Delhi
15 December 2010 | In a crackdown here and in several places in Tamil Nadu in connection with the 2G spectrum scam, the CBI on Wednesday searched the office and residential premises of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, former Trai chairman Pradip Baijal and a Chennai NGO with which DMK MP Kanimozhi is linked. Read Story
13 December 2010 | Parliament ended its paralyzed winter session Monday after four weeks that were largely devoid of work but filled with raucous Opposition’s demands for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scandal that cost the country billions. Read Story
12 December 2010 | Edit | Telecom’s golden goose
10 December 2010 | The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) knew of Niira Radia’s involvement in an alleged conspiracy as early as 16 November 2009 and was investigating the irregularities, the income-tax (I-T) department told the Supreme Court on Friday. Read Story
6 December 2010 | Controversial CVC P J Thomas appears to have got a breather with the Supreme Court on Monday issuing notice to him on a plea seeking his removal from the key post which will now be heard on 27 January. Read Story
2 December 2010 | Government on Thursday placed before the Supreme Court in sealed cover recorded tapes containing the conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others relating to the 2G spectrum allocation case. Read Story
30 November 2010 | The government is looking at how the Niira Radia tapes became public, after Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group that is represented by Radia, approached the Supreme Court to protect his privacy. Read Story
29 November 2010 | Tata group chief Ratan Tata on Monday approached the Supreme Court seeking action against those involved in the leakage of tapes containing his conversation with corporate lobbyist Nira Radia. Read Story
23 November 2010 | • Terming Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s plea for prosecuting A Raja in the 2G spectrum case as “misconceived and premature”, government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the sanction had been sought even before a complaint was filed in a court. Read Story
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faced questions in the Supreme Court on Tuesday over his handling of an alleged multi-billion dollar telecom scam as Parliament remained paralyzed over demands by the Opposition for a full probe. Read Story
22 November 2010 | • With the entire opposition, some allies in the ruling coalition and second-rung leaders of the ruling Congress party rallying around for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to investigate the alleged corruption in the allotment of spectrum for second generation (2G) telecom services, the onus seems to be on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to break the deadlock. Read Story
• Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy has accused the law ministry and government law officials of wrongly advising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to wait for evidence before deciding on sanction to prosecute former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum case. Read Story
• With the logjam continuing in Parliament over the opposition demand for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum controversy, Government has convened an all-party meeting this afternoon to end the deadlock. Read Story
21 November 2010 | • A political logjam that has stalled proceedings in Parliament since the winter session started on 9 November is expected to persist, with the government rejecting Opposition demands for a parliamentary probe of alleged corruption in the allocation of second generation (2G) mobile phone spectrum licences in 2008. Read Story
• Edit |Defending the indefensible
20 November 2010 | • Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office responded Saturday to the Supreme Court’s hard line of questioning earlier this week by filing an 11-page affidavit in the 2G spectrum case. Read Story
• Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran on Saturday denied any wrongdoing in 2G spectrum allocation and its pricing during his tenure as telecom minister and alleged selective leaks of communication between him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue. Read Story
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said any wrongdoers in a widening 2G scam, which is threatening his political survival, will be prosecuted. Read Story
• With the Opposition targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his alleged inaction over corruption accusations, the ruling Congress party and the government may take an aggressive tack to counter the allegations, as party leaders came out strongly in his defence. Read Story
19 November 2010 | • The department of telecommunications (DoT) will not cancel any of the telecom licences and spectrum given to operators in January 2008, for now, but is looking at ensuring that losses made due to alleged faulty procedures prior to 2008 be rectified as much as possible. Read Story
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has turned to Attorney General GE Vahanvati to represent him at the apex court over why he failed to probe the 2G telecom scandal. Read Story
18 November 2010 | • What is the 2G scam? Who is involved? What are the issues? Mint attempts a 360-degree view of the controversy that is rocking a nation. (Graphics)
• The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to file by Saturday an affidavit on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “alleged inaction” on a plea seeking sanction to prosecute ex-telecom minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum scam case, calling the matter “extremly serious.” Read story
• India’s fiercely competitive mobile phone industry has been beset by a fresh wave of regulatory uncertainty stemming from a possible probe into 2G spectrum that a government audit says was awarded too cheaply. Read Story
17 November 2010 | • The Supreme Court’s criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his inaction over a request for sanction to prosecute former telecom minister A Raja has helped rally opposition parties and could be the spark for a political campaign against the Congress party-led government. Read Story
16 November 2010 | • Parliament stalemate over the Opposition demand for a JPC probe into corruption charges continues for fourth day. Read Story
• Striking a defiant note despite his indictment by the CAG over the 2G spectrum allocation, former telecom minister A Raja said he has not done anything wrong and was ready for a probe. Read Story
• The logjam over opposition demand for JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam stalled proceedings in both Houses of Parliament for the fourth day on Tuesday even as government made efforts to break the impasse. Read Story
15 November 2010 | • HRD minister Kapil Sibal was given the additional charge of the telecom ministry by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a development that takes the portfolio away from DMK at least for the time being. Read Story
• Ruling out a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament on the resignation of telecom minister A Raja, the government said BJP’s demand for a JPC probe into 2G spectrum issue was ‘unacceptable’ and slammed the Opposition party for not allowing the Houses to function. Read Story
Edit:An enforced exit in New Delhi
14 November 2010 | • Yielding to relentless opposition pressure, Union telecom minister A Raja resigned 0in the wake of the 2G Spectrum allocation scam. Read Story
• The ruling Congress party appears determined that telecom minister A Raja, accused of corruption in the allotment of second-generation (2G) mobile spectrum, be made to quit, although it’s reluctant to damage ties with alliance partner Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Read Story
12 November 2010 | • Prime Minister Manmohan Singh put the DMK on notice by not ruling out an alliance with the rival AIADMK. Read Story
• Undeterred by the mounting opposition attack on his role in 2G spectrum allocation, telecom minister A Raja on Friday ruled out resignation over the issue, saying he will prove that everything has been done according to the law. Read Story
11 November 2010 | • Parliament was rocked for the second day on Thursday with the Opposition demanding ouster of telecom minister A Raja and the Congress hitting back at the Sangh Parivar over anti-Sonia Gandhi remarks by former RSS chief K S Sudarshan. Read Story
10 November 2010 | • Sources in the know say that the CAG has accused the telecom ministry for undervaluing 2G spectrum, sold to new players in 2008, and held that the allotment price was not realistic, which has caused a revenue loss of up to Rs1.76 trillion to the government. Read Story
03 November 2010 | • The telecom ministry has said that policy decisions cannot be ‘assailed’ as arbitrary while debunking government auditor CAG’s reported assertion that 2G spectrum was allocated in an arbitrary manner causing a loss of Rs1.76 trillion to the exchequer. Read Story
Edit :The cost of going easy on Raja
29 October 2010 | • The Supreme Court slammed Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its ‘slipshod’ investigations into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, in which the alleged role of telecom minister A Raja has come under the scanner, saying ‘the same minister is still continuing today’. Read Story
17 October 2010 | • The public audit body Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has indicted the department of telecommunications (DoT), headed by communications minister A Raja, for multiple violations of policy in handing out second generation (2G) mobile phone licences in January 2008, according to fresh details that have emerged of its findings. Read Story
09 October 2010 | • There was fresh trouble for telecom minister A Raja after the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India submitted before the Supreme Court doubled the initial estimated losses to the exchequer in the 2G spectrum case to Rs.1.39 trillion. Read Story
08 October 2010 | • The Supreme Court has asked the government to respond to the CAG report pointing out large-scale irregularities and favoritism allegedly by telecom minister A Raja in the Rs70,000 crore 2G spectrum allocation scam in 2008. Read Story
9 August 2010 | • Telecom minister A Raja has dismissed allegations of corruption in allotment of 2G spectrum in 2008 saying the government followed the policies of previous NDA regime and the recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Read Story
Edit |Spectrum on the cheap
07 June 2010 | • The finance ministry is backing a recommendation to force telecom firms to pay more for the additional 2G spectrum they have, which would put it at odds with mobile service providers such as Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Essar Ltd. Read Story
01 June 2010 | • Telecommunications and information technology minister A Raja could lose his portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to undertake in the run-up to Parliament’s monsoon session that begins in July. Read Story
27 May 2010 | • The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended that 2G spectrum on which mobile phones work at present should not be auctioned just as yet. Read Story
24 May 2010 | • Mobile phone operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea have appealed to a telecom tribunal over the sector regulator’s proposals to slap new fees on second-generation spectrum. Read Story
12 May 2010 | • The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) plan to impose new fees for second-generation mobile spectrum in India sent shares skidding in carriers including Bharti Airtel, which called the proposal ‘shocking, arbitrary and retrograde.’ Read Story
03 May 2010 | • The auction price of high-speed third-generation (3G) airwaves for mobile telephony on Monday crossed the Rs1,651 crore mark in Mumbai and New Delhi — the price at which new operators were given licences nationally in January 2008, prompting estimates by some experts of a steep underpricing and loss to the government in the allocation of 2G spectrum some years ago. Read Story
28 April 2010 | • Fresh allegations of corruption relating to the issue of telecom licences were levelled by the Opposition against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in Parliament. Read Story
• The 2G telephony spectrum allocation issue created uproar in Parliament in the wake of reports that a high profile public relation lobbyist acted as a power broker and was in regular touch with telecom minister A Raja. Read Story
20 January 2010 | • The department of telecommunications (DoT) may renege on its promise to allow winning bidders of high-frequency airwaves for mobile telephony to jump a two-year-old queue and get access to low-frequency airwaves ahead of 343 waiting applications. Read Story
23 November 2009 | • The department of telecommunications is considering increasing the spectrum usage charge paid by telecom operators by 1 percentage point, according to two DoT officials. Read Story
19 November 2009 | • DoT, in its information memorandum, has said that the auction will be held starting on 14 January and that the government expects to raise a total of Rs35,000 crore from the sale. Read Story
23 October 2009 | • Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee declined to comment on the CBI raids on the office of Department of Telecom (DoT) in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum to new players. Read Story
22 October 2009 | • The CBI searched offices of the Department of Telecom on Thursday in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum to some of the new players. Read Story
26 October 2009 | • Describing the 2G spectrum allocation controversy as the biggest scam in independent India, the BJP criticized PM for defending telecom minister A. Raja. Read Story
06 October 2009 | • Auctions of third-generation (3G) telecom licences, which will allow phone companies to offer high-speed Internet and video downloads on handsets, may include a bonus for operators of existing second-generation (2G) services that submit winning bids. Read Story
17 August 2009 | • In what may be a blow to mobile phone operators, the finance ministry has asked the department of telecommunications (DoT) to ensure that no allocation of spectrum is made till a panel’s report on second generation (2G) spectrum is finalized. Read Story
06 August 2009 | • The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked the government to “keep in abeyance” the grant of new second generation (2G) licences till the watchdog finalizes its recommendations, it said in a letter posted on its website. Read Story
Pradip Baijal’s Essay | • The last few years have shown that communications is the best investment for a country and we should not shift resources from the telecom sector for funding unviable sectors of the Indian economy. Click here to read full article
02 July 2009 | • India should auction 2G spectrum and allow this to be traded rather than give holders of telecoms licences entitlement to the radio waves as is the current practice, the government said. Read Story
16 June 2009 | • The promise of raising up to Rs40,000 crore in revenue from the auction of spectrum for third generation, or 3G, mobile services has prompted the department of telecommunications, or DoT, to put policy changes regarding second generation, or 2G, services on the backburner. Read Story
31 May 2009 | • In its reply to a petition submitted before the Delhi high court, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has defended the government’s move to allot spectrum with licence to new entrants on a first-come, first-served basis, saying that this would ensure a level playing field. Read Story
28 November 2008 | • In the midst of a controversy over allotment of spectrum to new players, telecom regulator Trai today said that market forces should have determined the price of a licence, which includes start-up spectrum. Read Story
12 November 2008 | • The ministerial panel was created by the DoT to look at a fair model of charging firms offering 3G services and ways to segregate revenue from 2G and 3G services. Read Story
04 November 2008 | • Is the telecom ministry opposing 2G spectrum auction because that would require transparency? Read Story
03 November 2008 | • A parliamentary panel has called a meeting on 14 November to discuss spectrum allocation for 2G mobile services and the launch of 3G services in the country. Read Story
Edit | A sad tale of half-truths
13 October 2008 | • GSM operators’ group COAI strongly supported DoT proposal to have separate revenues for 2G and 3G services, adding that this model will also speed up 3G roll-out in the country. Read Story
Views | Auctions ahoy
25 October 2007 | • The government has ruled out the possibility of auctioning 2G — or so-called second generation — spectrum for mobile services, even as it looks at the process of implementation of mobile number portability across the country. Read Story