ED and Finance Ministry officials briefing JPC on 2G scam

Chief of Enforcement Directorate Arun Mathur and officials of the Finance Ministry are briefing the Joint Parliamentary Committee, JPC, on the ongoing investigations into the 2G scam today. Mathur, along with other senior officials of the Directorate and representatives of the Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry, will also brief the JPC separately about the probe carried out in the spectrum scam which included obtaining the share holding patterns of various telecom firms from foreign shores like Mauritius and UK.

“Congress has failed to provide leadership to UPA”

Accusing the faction-ridden Congress of failing to provide leadership to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley has apprehended that the drift which has gripped the politico-economic sphere could prove fatal if not stemmed urgently.Attributing all the ills of the UPA government to internal political struggle within the Congress, bickering among ministers, and a failure to build consensus on crucial issues, Mr. Jaitley said the global impact of all this was that India was no longer considered the best place to do business.

Govt. will have to give action taken report on PAC findings: Joshi

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday said the government will have to submit an action taken report on the draft report prepared by him on the 2G scam.“The future of the report is bright. The report is now with the Speaker. It is taken to be presented before the House. The government will have to give an action taken report on it,” Mr. Joshi told a press conference in Kolkata.

Courts orders status quo on Kanimozhi custody

DMK MP Kanimozhi has moved a Delhi court for bail against arrest in the 2G case as her lawyer Ram Jethmalani sought to pass the blame on the scandal to the former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is also a party leader.After day-long arguments on the bail applications for her and Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, the special court for trying the scam adjourned the case for hearing till Saturday morning when special prosecutor for CBI U U Lalit is expected to oppose freedom for them.

SC wants result into tax evasion cases linked to 2G spectrum case by IT department

The Supreme Court today 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. A bench of Justice G S Singhvi and Justice A K Ganguly directed the department to file a detailed report on action taken by it during the last three years when it got a complaint in this regard and began tapping corporate lobbyist Niira Radia's telephone. The IT department, however, defended its ongoing probe saying that the investigation has entered the fifth layer and the approach towards the case has not been tardy. The court, however, was not satisfied and said, it was not concerned about layers but results. The bench allowed the IT department to approach the special judge, trying the 2G case, to interrogate company officials who are in judicial custody for their alleged role in the scam.

Lokpal Bill drafting Committee pledges to expedite finalisation of Bill by June 30

The government and the civil society activists, who are members of the drafting committee of a Lokpal Bill today pledged to expedite the process to finalise the bill by 30th of next month. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, who is the member of the Drafting Committee, told reporters after the meeting that the civil society members on the committee presented a document with respect to the objects of the Bill which enunciated the general principles underlining the bill. He said there was no difference of opinion during the meeting and talks were very good.

M M Joshi reappointed PAC chairperson

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has been reappointed as chairperson of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), notwithstanding controversy surrounding him with regard to the draft report on the 2G spectrum scam.Joshi was nominated by his party following which Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has reappointed him as chairman of PAC which is responsible for conducting the financial audit of various departments and ministries.

PAC Chairman Murli submits his controversial report on 2 G scam to LS Speaker

NCT, April 30:Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi today submitted the controversial report on 2 G scam to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar despite the rejection of the draft report by majority members. Today is the last day of his term as head of the Committee.Joshi said, the Speaker should accept report on 2G and table in Parliament. He said he has not given clean chit to anybody. He also claimed that the rejection of report by 11 PAC members is unconstitutional.

Cong, DMK slam PAC chief, demand resignation

Slamming PAC chairman MM Joshi over the draft report on 2G scam, Congress and DMK members of the panel on Wednesday accused him of having "malafide intention" of destabilising the government and demanded his resignation.Soon after the draft report leaked, members of Congress and DMK went into a huddle and made it clear that they would not allow the adoption of the report in tomorrow's meeting.

2G scam: ED to attach properties of errant telecos

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that property worth Rs 2,000 crore each will be attached against two companies which are involved in the 2G spectrum scam during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja."Property worth Rs 2,000 crore has to be attached relating to these companies," senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the ED, submitted before a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly. 

PAC divided on 2G report

After a three-hour-long discussion here on Thursday, the Public Accounts Committee remained a divided house on the question whether it should finalise its findings in a report on the 2G spectrum allocation or leave the entire issue to the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up specifically to probe this very subject.Rules of procedure were cited, parliamentary procedures mentioned and instances of past precedents brought up to buttress claims on both the sides.

Draft PAC report slams Raja for ‘dubious designs'

The draft report of the Public Accounts Committee on the 2G spectrum allocation scandal comes down heavily on the former Communications Minister, A. Raja, for not heeding the Prime Minister's advice, for ignoring the Law and Justice Ministry's suggestion that a group of Ministers be set up to examine issues related to grant of telecom licences and related matters, for not properly consulting the Telecom Commission and, above all, for arbitrarily changing cut-off dates for the first come, first served policy adopted for grant of licences and spectrum.

CBI files supplementary chargesheet in 2G case

A special court on Monday summoned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter and DMK MP Kanimozhi and four others as accused in its first supplementary chargesheet in the 2G spectrum case taking the total number of accused to 13. The court issued summons also to Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar, Karim Morani, Director of Cineyug Media and Entertainment (Pvt) Ltd, who are named as accused, for May 6. 

2G case: executives of Unitech, Swan and Rcom sent to jail

Five corporate honchos, including Unitech's Sanjay Chandra and Reliance ADAG's Gautam Doshi were arrested and sent to jail after a Delhi court dismissed their bail plea saying they may tamper with evidence and even flee to avoid prosecution in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. 

The decision to move the High Court assumes significance as the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the progress of the case, had made it clear that no other court in the country will entertain any application or petition relating to the 2G case other than the apex court.