Former Telecom Minister Raja Arrested by CBI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested former Telecom Minister A. Raja in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case. Former Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura and Mr. Raja’s former personal secretary R.K. Chandolia were also arrested.
The arrest comes after the questioning of Mr. Raja for the fourth time in connection with the funding and allegedly showing favours to some telecom companies in granting 2G spectrum between October 2007 and 2008.
Mr. Raja, who was questioned earlier on December 24 and 25 last year and January 31, was called to the CBI office on Wednesday morning and quizzed, official sources said.
Mr. Raja was on earlier occasions questioned at length on the circumstances leading to spectrum allocation which has been criticised severely by the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
He was also asked about his conversations with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and the reasons of advancing the cut-off date of allocation of the spectrum in 2007.
The former Telecom Minister was forced to resign on November 14 last year in the wake of the CAG report which held that the spectrum allocation at undervalued prices resulted in a notional loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the state exchequer.
Mr. Raja got the telecom portfolio on May 18, 2007 and was re-elected as a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha and continued as Telecom Minister from May 31, 2009, till November 14, 2010 before he tendered his resignation.
The Supreme Court has asked CBI and Enforcement Directorate to submit status reports on their investigations into the 2G spectrum case to it by February 10 when the case will come up for further hearing.
In its FIR, CBI mentioned the loss as Rs. 22,000 crore based on CVC findings which had referred the case to it.
Ms. Radia was quizzed by CBI last week as she had come under the scanner after her tapped telephonic conversations with various influential people including industrialists, politicians and journalists became public.
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