The Congress Party started celebrating the verdict of 2G Verdict before reading the Judgement. Now It has proved to be biggest “Egg On Face Moment”.
According to the Article Published Republic World:
The special CBI court, in its court order announcing the verdict in the 2G spectrum allocation case, has made mention of certain key members of the Manmohan Singh-led PMO while trying to ascertain whether (or by whom) the Prime Minister was misled.
In the court order acquitting all the accused which has been accessed by Republic TV, sections starting 1795 seek to answer the question: ‘Whether the Honourable Prime Minister was misled, if so, by whom?’
After dismissing the prosecution’s contention that A Raja misrepresented facts to the PMO, the court order makes reference to a letter from A Raja to the Prime Minister dated November 2, 2007 regarding the issue of LOIs (Letters of Intent) for new licenses.
It states that the letter was seen by the PM and treated as urgent, and that he had discussed the matter with the Principal Secretary. However, it isn’t able to ascertain whether the letter was deliberated in the PMO.
It then states:
Had these letters been deliberated in the PMO, there must have been some record, but no such record has been produced before this Court by either of the parties. By the letter dated 02.11.2007, Ex PW 7/B, Sh. A. Raja had specifically informed the Hon’ble Prime Minister about processing of large number of applications in the backdrop of inadequate spectrum. In this letter, he had clearly mentioned that the spectrum to the tune of 60 to 65 MHz was likely to be vacated by the defence forces and would be available for 2G services. He had also categorically recorded that auction of spectrum was considered by TRAI and Telecom Commission and auction was not recommended. Some other issues were also raised, but these two issues were quite important.
The court verdict then focuses on another letter marked by the PMO’s Pulok Chatterjee to the Principal Secretary. While asking about the contents of the letter, it asks directly:
What is the subject matter of this note, which runs into five pages? This note discussed only the spectrum related issues as to how much spectrum was available in the country, how much was available in other countries, how the spectrum should be used and how spectrum was to be allocated and few other related issues about spectrum. This note did not consider at all the issue of new licences, which were to be issued as per the changed criteria from date of application to date of payment and was also the most controversial one. Thus, this note gave only a partial view of the whole issue and ignored the most important and controversial issue of new licences. Moreover, the note suffered from the vice of excessive length and technical jargon. It is lengthier than the letter of Sh. A. Raja. Prime Minister is a busy executive. Wherefrom would he find time to read such lengthy notes. Prime Minister is not expected to be immersed in files. It was much easier and better for him to read and understand the letter of Sh. A. Raja rather than this note of Sh. Pulok Chatterjee.
In the next section, 1799, it says:
However, it is clear that somebody from the PMO had given a go ahead to the DoT for issue of new licences and most probably it was Sh. Pulok Chatterjee himself, as his note records that he had spoken to Secretary (T). Thereafter only on the same day, the process of issue of LOIs started with the recording of notes by Sh. Nitin Jain and Sh. A. K. Srivastava. Had the PMO hinted otherwise, the DoT would not have dared to go ahead with the process of issue of LOIs as Secretary (T) had only joined on 01.01.2008 and was quite new in his job. He would not have dared to go against the PMO.
Original Article Published On: Republic World
