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New Delhi: A
petition before a special court that is hearing the second
generation (2G) telecom spectrum case has asked for directions to
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to name industrialist
Ratan Tata and lobyist Nira Radia as accused.
Lawyer Dharmendra Pandey filed the petition as an intervener in
the case with Judge O.P. Saini, who is presiding over the special
court. The judge fixed the matter for further hearing May 2.
"The CBI had registered the case in the spectrums matter in 2009
itself but there was no progress till the time the alleged phone
taps among several personalities were published and same were put
on the internet," the application said.
The wire taps included conversations between Tata and Radia, it
said, adding instead of making the duo witnesses, they should be
made co-accused.
Based on the transcripts of the wire taps that were published in a
section of the media, the petition further alleged that Radia used
her position and power in the distribution of portfolios in the
council of the ministers.
Thursday's petition came a day after a counsel for one of the
accused told the special court that Tata Teleservices should have
been named co-accused in the spectrum case and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh listed as a witness.
Majid Memon and Vijay Agarwal, the advocates for Shahid Usman
Balwa, the promoter of Swan Telecom, said this while arguing
before Judge Saini, who is presiding over the special court.
The premier investigative agency had first named four people
accused in the case -- former telecom minister A. Raja, his
personal aide R.K. Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddhartha
Behura and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa.
Then five more people were added to the list: Vinod Goenka of Swan
Telecom, Sanjay Chandra of Unitech and three officials of Anil
Ambani Group -- Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara.
In a fresh twist to the case, the probe agency had Monday named
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi also
as a co-conspirator in the case, while his wife was listed as a
witness.
Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi was named co-conspirator along with
Sharad Kumar of Kalaignar TV, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, and
Asif Balwa and Rajiv B. Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.
Among the accused, Raja, Chandolia, Behura, Shahid Balwa, Asif
Balwa, Agarwal, Goenka, Chandra, Doshi, Nair and Pipara are in
judicial custody.
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