2G scam: Swamy wants Raja as main accused

Taking his accusations against former Telecom minister A Raja a step further, Janata Party chief Subramaniam Swamy on Wednesday filed a court case here, seeking Raja to be named the main accused in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam.

Swamy moved the Tis Hazari court here and filed a private criminal complaint to make Raja the prime accused in the scam, the former Union Law minister later told reporters..

He further said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the scam, has informed him on Tuesday via a letter that complaints against unknown people have been lodged in the 2G scam.

?They (CBI) have not included Raja’s name in the FIR and I hope today (Wednesday) when I go to the court they will formally make him an accused,? Swamy said.

It was Swamy who had filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking permission for criminal prosecution against the minister.

Meanwhile, the CBI on Wednesday raided the residences of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and former chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Pradip Baijal, in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

CBI also raided the offices of Radia, Chairman of Vaishnavi Communications, a public relations organisation.

The raids were conducted in seven locations of Delhi and 27 places in Tamil Nadu.

Baijal, who was TRAI Chairman between 2004-08, joined Radia’s firm in 2009.

Earlier, the CBI had raided the residences of Raja in Delhi and Tamil Nadu in connection with the 2G scam.

The CBI reportedly seized three diaries from Raja?s residence that had cryptic numbers of transactions.

Raja was forced to quit as telecom minister last month after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) held him responsible for undervaluing 2G spectrum and circumventing the rules to favour companies who did not meet the eligibility criteria for spectrum licences.

The CAG report said that the exchequer had suffered a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in the allocation of 2G spectrum.

Radia, whose agency handles public relations for the Tata Group and Reliance Industries, has been questioned by the government agencies that are probing her alleged role in the award of a number of telecom licences in 2008.