New Delhi: Delhi’s Patiala House court on Thursday acquitted all accused in the multi-crore 2G scam including former telecom minister A Raja and M Kanimozhi.
In the verdict which has been pronounced six years after the first arrest was made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the judge announced that the Prosecution failed to prove the charges.
Ranked as the World’s second-biggest abuse of executive power by the Time Magazine (following the Watergate scandal in the United States), the 2G scam is often referred to be one of the major reasons that led to the downfall of the Dr. Manmohan Singh led-UPA government.
Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said,”The allegations were never true”
Former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha told Newsmobile “My stand is vindicated I had said in my report to the same effect and I was hounded.”
The court had previously directed all accused, including Former Telecom Minister A Raja, Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi and Rajya Sabha MP and others to remain present before it for the verdict.
Background of 2G Scam
- The Telecom scam is said to be the second biggest scam in the world after the United States’ Water Gate Scam.
- The 2G scam was exposed in 2010 when the national auditor said that in 2007-2008, second generation or 2G licences had been given to telecom operators at throwaway prices without a free and fair bidding process.
- A Raja, who was from the DMK, a Tamil Nadu-based regional party, has denied issuing out-of-turn licences at below-market prices.
- He has said then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been apprised of every decision and these were based on inputs from the Department of Telecom, other Cabinet Ministers and the then Solicitor General.
- Raja stepped down in 2010 after the auditor’s report and was arrested in 2011.He was accused of cheating, forgery and conspiracy. The charge sheet also said he misled Manmohan Singh.
- Raja spent nearly a year in jail before being released on bail.
