Chidambaram’s role in 2G allocation: Hearing in mid-March

The Supreme Court will hear in mid-March a plea seeking a probe into the role of P. Chidambaram, then the finance minister, in the pricing of 2G spectrum when A. Raja was the telecommunications minister.

When counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) mentioned the matter, an apex court bench headed by Justice G.S. Singhvi said its plea has been listed by the registery and will come up for hearing after the Holi break. The court will resume March 12.

The CPIL has contended that Chidambaram the then finance minister, was also involved in the fixing of 2G license prices and thus was as much culpable as Raja was in the 2G scam.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has estimated a presumptive loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer because of Raja’s first-come-first-served policy for allocating 2G spectrum.