2G spectrum case: Vahanvati had cleared Swan Telecom

A key prosecution witness today told a Delhi court that G E Vahanvati as Solicitor General had opined in 2009 that Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL),which is now an accused in the 2G spectrum case,had "fulfilled all the necessary conditions" for licences.

A key prosecution witness today told a Delhi court that G E Vahanvati as Solicitor General had opined in 2009 that Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL),which is now an accused in the 2G spectrum case,had “fulfilled all the necessary conditions” for licences.

A K Srivastava,who retired as Deputy Director General (DDG) (Access Services) from the Department of Telecom (DoT),said that the department had received complaints against STPL from two Member of Parliaments (MP) which were forwarded by the Prime Minister’s office (PMO).

He said the complaints were regarding alleged violation of clause 8 of the Unified Access Services Licence (UASL) guidelines by STPL.

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Srivastava said that after receiving the complaints,top DoT official,including former Telecom Minister A Raja and then Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura,had agreed that the file should be sent to then Solicitor General (SG) Vahanvati for his advise. Vahanvati has been arrayed as a prosecution witness in the 2G case.

“The (STPL’s) file was received in the office of Chairman,Telecom Commission,who is also secretary (telecom),on March 27,2009 with the note of SG dated March 24-25,2009.

“I identify the signature of G E Vahanwati…and his note,running into three pages…wherein he recorded that ‘the file shows that there has been a full consideration of all relevant material and the conclusion that the applicant fulfilled all the necessary conditions cannot really be faulted’,” he told Special CBI Judge O P Saini.

According to the CBI,as per clause 8 of UASL guidelines,”No single company or legal person,either directly or through its associates,shall have 10 per cent or more equity holding in more than one licensee company in the same service area for the same service.”

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The CBI,in its charge sheet,had said that Shahid Balwa promoted STPL was acting as a front company for Reliance ADAG.

Nizamuddin went to the US in December 2015 for a Master’s course in Computer Science, which he completed from Florida Institute of Technology in 2017. He completed his B.Tech in ECE from Jayaprakash Narayan College of Engineering, Mahbubnagar.

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