Tags:
Journalism of Courage
R P Singh,lead auditor of the CAGs 2G scam report,today told the joint parliamentary committee that his mandate was changed midway through the audit,which was ultimately taken away from him. This,he told the committee,was something he had experienced for the first time.
Singh said that after it was decided to audit the allocation of 2G spectrum on November 12,2009,he set about doing a performance audit. However,in March 2010,he was asked to do transaction audit. This,Singh said,was not normal,and it was not possible for him to change midcourse.
He explained that a performance audit looks into all aspects of an issue,is carried out along specific guidelines,and its objectives,methodology and criteria are shared with the department none of which are necessary in a transaction audit.
Asked by Congress MP Manish if it was normal practice to take an audit away from the field office to the CAG headquarters,Singh said,I faced it for the first time.
According to JPC chief P C Chacko,Singh had told the committee that Deputy CAG Rekha Gupta had written a note on October 20,2010,saying that R P Singh has been asked to sign the last page of the report. Let him read the final version here,if he wants.
Chacko pointed out that Singh had said that he was asked to clear the report on the same day,and he did so. The instructions for Singh came clear with the report, Chacko said,adding that from Singhs deposition,it seems the conclusion of the CAG was not a unanimous one,as there were differences of opinion and approach.
