Aircel-Maxis, 2G case: ED officer moves SC, claims attempt to delay probe

In his PIL, Kapoor has alleged that Singh acquired a plot in his wife Laxmi Singh’s name under LDA scheme in 2005, that he owns a property adjacent to bungalow number 30A in Sector 15A in Noida and also has property in Civil Lines of Allahabad. Singh in his contempt petition has said that the Laxmi Singh mentioned in Kapoor’s PIL is not his wife but a namesake as his wife never applied for a plot under LDA. He has also said there is no property adjacent to bungalow 30A in Noida sector 15A and that the Civil Lines property of Allahabad is ancestral inheritance. The apex court had admitted Kapoor’s PIL that also sought a probe against the ED officer.

The officer, nominated by the top court as the lead ED investigating officer in the 2G case a few years ago, has charged in his petition that his probe has “irked a sizeable number of individuals, corporate lobbyists and corrupt and dishonest persons who have time and again filed false, frivolous and motivated complaints against him”.
He said the fresh PIL against him is nothing but old and unsuccessful allegations against him and a “brazen attempt to delay the completion of 2G spectrum case and the Aircel-Maxis case”.

Singh said the allegations are not new as “no new evidence has been filed”, adding that the allegations filed in the PIL recently were made in a similar fashion about 7 years ago and his organisation (ED), CBI and CVC had given him a clean chit after a probe. The Supreme Court had then ordered that no interference should be made by anyone in the functioning of the officers who are probing the 2G case, including Singh, and had issued a contempt notice.

The ED officer said his reputation has “suffered grave attack”. Singh said the apex court’s order in March to finish the probe in the Aircel-Maxis case in six months was the trigger for the latest allegations against him. “This order is probably the reason for filing such a frivolous petition by the contemnor who is acting as proxy of some vested interests with the sole motive to obstruct the justice delivery system…,” he said.