New Delhi: After a six-year trial, a court in Delhi will give its verdict today on whether former Telecom Minister A Raja masterminded India's biggest ever telecom scam. Mr Raja is accused of allocating airwaves and licenses for cellphone networks in exchange for kickbacks and causing the state a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore. The Time Magazine has called it the biggest example of abuse of executive power after US President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. Mr Raja has denied that he accepted bribes. The Supreme Court earlier agreed that the process Mr Raja followed was polluted and cancelled all the licenses he had issued.
Here are top 10 developments in this big story:
Here are top 10 developments in this big story:
- The Telecom scam, said to be the biggest in Independent India, came to light after a report by the national auditor in 2010. The report said in 2007-2008, second generation or 2G licences had been given to telecom operators at throwaway prices instead of allocation through a free and fair bidding process.
- A Raja, who was from the DMK, a Tamil Nadu-based regional party, has denied any wrongdoing. He has said the decisions were taken after apprising then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and were based on inputs from DoT, other Cabinet Ministers and the then Solicitor General.
- He has also argued that the report of the national auditor was "flawed" and there has been no loss to the exchequer.
- Mr Raja stepped down in 2010 after the auditor's report and was arrested in 2011. He was accused of cheating, forgery and conspiracy. The chargesheet also said he misled then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The trial started soon after.
- Mr Raja was released on bail after spending nearly a year in jail.
- Along with Mr Raja, several other politicians and executives of some of the top telecom companies, including the one owned by Anil Ambani's conglomerate, are named in the case.
- M Kanimozhi, the daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi -- is also an accused in the case. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which probed the case, said a Rs. 200-crore bribe paid by a telecom to Mr Raja was deposited in the account of a Chennai-based television channel, which she partly owns. She has denied any wrongdoing.
- The verdict was expected on November 7, but the judge said he needed more time to write up his decision. Earlier this year, the judge, OP Saini, had acquitted Dayanidhi Maran, Mr Raja's predecessor who was also accused of corruption during his term.
- On November 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited ailing DMK chief M Karunanidhi at his home in Chennai. The timing of the visit triggered speculation on whether the BJP, which has been trying to expand its presence in Tamil Nadu, was considering the DMK as an option.
- The 2G scam was among the major corruption scandals that came to light during the second term of the UPA government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh. It provided fuel to the opposition charges of corruption against the government.