government, BJP welcome SC directives on 2G scam

The Supreme Court?s directive to widen to scope the 2G Spectrum allocation scam on Thursday was welcomed by the Union government as well as the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Welcoming the SC?s directives, Union Law minister M Veerappa Moily said, ?This is what our government had said (in the Supreme Court)…we have nothing to hide.?

?That?s why we wanted the Supreme Court to monitor the CBI investigation,? Moily said, adding that the government was happy with the apex court agreeing to monitor the 2G scam probe.

The BJP, while welcoming the SC?s latest directives, said it will not budge from its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the scam.

?The BJP fully endorses the instructions of the apex court,? BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratp Rudy was quoted as stating in reports.

He, however, added that the BJP and other Opposition parties will not back down on the JPC probe demand after the SC directives.

?The Supreme Court directives in fact vindicate the stand taken by the entire opposition,? Rudy said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday, stating that it was convinced of irregularities in granting of telecom licences, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to extend its probe in the process of awarding telecom licences from 2001.

It directed the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a status report on the investigations in a sealed envelope to the court on February 10, 2011.

Stating that it was prima facie satisfied that ?serious irregularities? were committed in the 2G Spectrum allocation, a bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly asked the CBI to conduct an impartial inquiry and warned it not to be influenced by any state machinery or official.