2G ‘scam’: Justice Shivaraj Patil rejects charge he agreed to post-retirement job under UPA

“The allegations that I was appointed as a one-man committee relating to 2G spectrum to unearth NDA scam and that I lent my offices for a post-retirement assignment are both factually incorrect and contrary to the records,” Justice Patil said.

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Jaitley made the allegation hours after a special court discharged former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh and three telecom firms in the 2002 additional spectrum allocation case, saying the chargesheet was full of distorted and fabricated facts.

“That the allegations are incorrect shall be clear to anyone by bare perusal and plain reading of the order of appointment, the terms of reference and my report dated January 31, 2011. The report is in the public domain. In addition, I have not accepted any post or assignment under the Congress or UPA after the report was submitted,” he added.

Elaborating, he said, “The period in the terms of reference covered both the NDA and UPA regimes. I went through all the records made available to me pertaining to the period 2001-2009 and submitted a report as per the terms of reference. What is contained in the report is consistent with the records. The report noted all irregularities between 2001 and 2009 where there were deviations in the procedures laid out. All the officials concerned in both NDA and UPA regimes were named.”

Incidentally, less than six months after he submitted his report, in which he indicted many Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government and Manmohan Singh-led UPA government functionaries, the judge was appointed Lokayukta of Karnataka on the recommendation of the then B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government in the state.

He, however, resigned from the post within two months after reports that his wife and he owned three plots in Bangalore in violation of city laws. He had described the reports as part of a “malicious campaign”.