Ignoring the defences claim that the CAG report over the 2G scam is a waste piece of paper,a Delhi court on Thursday granted four-day police custody of former telecom minister A Raja and Shahid Usman Balwa,the director of DB Realty,after CBI petitioned that kickbacks were paid by Swan Telecom to the then Union Minister and his people as a reward of getting the Unified Access Licence. DB Realty had acquired Swan Telecom soon after it had bagged the Unified Access Licence for 13 circles for Rs 1,537 cr but sold 45 per cent of its share to Etilsalat for Rs 4,200 crore. Elaborating the links between Raja and Balwa and the criminal conspiracy in awarding licences,the agency alleged that in 2009 Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd arranged Rs 214 cr through DB Group companies for Kalainagar TV Pvt Ltd,which belongs to Sharad Kumar and others closely associated with the DMK MP. The money (was) allegedly paid as quid-pro-quo to Raja and his party people as a motive or reward of getting the licence, said the petition. Going beyond Swan Telecom,the CBI also charged other companies,without naming them,with criminal conspiracy and quid-pro-quo which allegedly has been received from various telecom operators in grant of UAL. While the agency has estimated a loss of Rs 22,000 cr to the exchequer due to the award of licences to a selected few companies in 2008 at the rate of 2001,the CAG pegged it at Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Trashing the CAG findings that has come to be the basis of allegations over the allotment of spectrum,Balwas counsel Vijay Agarwal said: The CAG report is a waste piece of paper. It may be a coffee table talk,a topic of discussion but not an evidence in criminal law. Claiming that the CBI was adopting pick and choose policy,Agarwal said there were eight telecom operators but the agency arrested only his client and was unnecessarily targeting him. Swan Telecom had applied for the licence on March 2,2007,how could it be benefited by preponing of the last date of application which took place in September 2007? Noting that the alleged money trail to Kalaignar TV was a normal commercial transaction,he said it did not amount to any favour to anyone as the company got interest over the amount and the transaction is duly mentioned in the log books. Elaborating reasons for Balwas arrest and custodial interrogation,CBI said: Documents are large in number . some documents are also to be recovered.. (hence) custodial interrogation of Raja could not be completed.
