Ex-CAG Vinod Rai tenders unconditional apology to Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam in defamation case

“I have realised that, in answer to questions posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Shri Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs who pressurised me to keep the then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s name out of the CAG report on 2-G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the PAC or the sidelines of the JPC etc,” Rai’s affidavit read.

Rai submitted, “I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Sanjay Nirupam, his family and well wishers and thus would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by such statements.”

Rai had in an interview to Times Now, which was subsequently published in two newspapers, accused the former PM of failing to prevent the controversial 2G spectrum licence allocation despite some of the ministers expressing concern about the process and despite having been informed by the then telecom minister A Raja about what he planned to do.

He claimed that some Congress MPs had told him to “keep the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) out of this (audit reports)” on the 2G spectrum licence allocation.

Rai made these allegations in a few other publications too ahead of the launch of his 2014 book ‘Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper‘.

Sanjay Nirupam tweeted after the apology from Rai: “Finally former CAG Vinod Rai tendered an unconditional apology to me in a defamation case filed by me…He must apologize to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and Coal block allocations done by the UPA Govt.”