2G scam: Swamy allowed to argue his case personally

By IANS,

New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court hearing the 2G spectrum issue Friday allowed Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to personally present his case for making Home Minister P. Chidambaram an accused in the scam.


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CBI special judge O.P. Saini gave additional time to Swamy for filing an application which seeks to make Chidambaram, the then finance minister, an accused in the 2G case as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Swamy has also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking sanction for Chidambaram’s prosecution.

Seeking more time, Swamy said: “Since my application seeking a CBI inquiry into the role of Chidambaram in 2G scam is pending before the Supreme Court, it would be in the interest of justice to wait for the apex court’s order and then come here (to this court) with the plea to make him (Chidambaram) an accused in the case.”

Swamy said the apex court order on his petition is likely to be delivered on Sep 1, and then he would file his application by Sep 15.

The court fixed the matter for further hearing on Sep 15.

Swamy has also sought that along with former communications minister A. Raja, DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi should also be made an accused in the case.

“Karunanidhi should be made an additional accused in the 2G scam,” said Swamy earlier.

Appearing earlier before the special court, which will deal with the 2G scam cases, Swamy contended that he should be appointed as a deemed public prosecutor in the case “as this matter has to be argued”.

Swamy had told the court that his private complaint dated Dec 15, 2010, has a wider ambit including national security which the CBI has not investigated.

Swamy had alleged that the CBI’s charge-sheet puts the entire blame on Raja while there were joint decisions taken by him and Chidambaram.

He had also complained that the CBI was “not willing to club his private complaint with its case” and sought his plea be heard separately as it would give him more independence.

“I would like my private complaint to be heard separately. I have wider issues (in the complaint) touching national security aspect, which the CBI is not investigating,” Swamy contended.

Swamy’s private complaint in the 2G scam was earlier transferred to the special court constituted by the Supreme Court to deal with all cases related to the scam.

The Janata Party leader, who had sought a probe into scam, had also raised concern about the possible threat to national security arising out of allocation of spectrum to companies which had sold off their major shares to foreign firms.

The CBI had opposed Swamy’s plea seeking his appointment as prosecutor in the case, saying his complaint was “not tenable in law” and not “worth accepting”.

The agency had told the court that Swamy’s submission regarding clubbing of his private complaint with the CBI’s case was not in the interest of justice and his complaint may be dealt with separately.

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