The Quint has exclusive access to the incendiary tapes (audio and transcripts) in the Essar phone tapping case.
This is Part 3 in the series of transcripts. The conversations are between the Personal Assistant of a top government official, the government official [the then Joint Secretary, Department of Corporate Affairs (DCA)], and two Reliance employees.
Conversation 1: Government Official, His PA, and a Reliance Employee
This conversation includes the mention of names of the board of members of companies which were formed by Reliance. According to Suren Uppal, the lawyer who sent the file to the Prime Minister’s Office, these were benami companies which were managed by a top government official.
Top Reliance Employee: Sir mera naam SS, S for Singapore hai, sir. (Sir, my name is SS, S for Singapore, sir.)
PA of Top Government Official: SS hai sir? (SS, is it?)
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji. (Yes.)
PA of Top Government Official: Abhi baat kara raha hoon sir. (I’ll let you speak [to him] now.)
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji. (Yes.)
(Call being transferred to top government official)
Top Government Official: Seth Saab? (Mr Seth?)
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji sir. (Yes, sir.)
Top Government Official: Can you just do me a favour? Can you note down…?
Top Reliance Employee: Boliye naa, sir. (Please tell me, sir.)
Top Government Official: Aapka jo wo, kya kehte hai, jo committee banayi thi aapne, for that investment. (That thing, what do you call it, the committee that you set up, for that investment.)
Top Reliance Employee: 3229
Top Government Official: Haan. Us committee mein jisme investment ka bhi chakkar tha. Jisme aap logo ke 292 apply karta hai. (Yes. That committee which is also dealing with investment...)
Top Reliance Employee: I agree, sir.
Top Government Official: Wo committee mein kaun-kaun tha? (Who all were in that committee?)
Top Reliance Employee: Mai aapko 5 min mein phone karun iske details le ke, sir? (I’ll call you back in 5 minutes with the details related to this, sir?)
Top Government Official: Do one thing. You note down my fax number. 3382787/48.
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji ,sir (Yes, sir)... Sandoz/Divya Associates...
Top Government Official: Unke bhi board of Directors? (And their Board of Directors?)
Top Reliance Employee: Unke bhi board of Directors, sir? (You need their Board of Directors too, sir?)
Top Government Official: Aur aapki jo ek aur associate thi. Wo Somnath Syndicate. Wo partnership firm hai ki kya hai wo? (And the other associate of yours, Somnath Syndicate. Is that a partnership firm?)
Top Reliance Employee: Wo Partnership Firm hai sir. (Yes, that is a partnership firm, sir.)
Top Government Official: Aur ekk koi Krishna Bolke thi wo. (And some other one called Krishna, that one?)
Top Reliance Employee: Krishna Associates, sir...
Top Government Official: Wo bhi Partnership Firm hai? (Is that a partnership firm too?)
Top Reliance Employee: Wo bhi Partnership firm hai sir. (That is also a partnership firm.)
Top Government Official: Acha. Okay. And who are the Partners?
Top Reliance Employee: Wo, for Krishna Associates, I think it’s Reliance Petroleum and Amitabh Jhunjhunwala.
Top Government Official: Okay. That is available with me. Wo tho theek hai. (That is ok!)
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji, sir. (Yes, sir.)
Top Government Official: Okay Satish. So can you fax me now?
Top Reliance Employee: Okay sir. Members of the Reliance Petroleum limited and two parties... Sandoz and...(unclear)...ke naam.
Top Government Official: Haan. (Yes) That is all.
Top Reliance Employee: Haan ji, sir. (Yes, sir.) Give me about 10 minutes.
Top Government Official: Haan-haan (Yes, yes) take your time. Now, after half an hour is also alright but not later than that.
Top Reliance Employee: Haan-haan abhi karta hoon, sir. (Yes, yes, I will do it right away, sir.)
Top Government Official: Okay. Thanks.
Top Reliance Employee: Thank you, sir.
Conversation 2: Two Reliance Employees
This call conversation further substantiates the first call regarding 65 benami companies. A Reliance employee talks about the investments made in these companies, and whether the details of the companies have been shared with the government official or not.
Reliance Employee 1: Hello. Setu wo details gayi kya? (Hello. Setu, did those details go?)
Reliance Employee 2: Haan sir maine kaafi pehle bhej diya tha aapko. (Yes, sir. I sent it to you quite some time ago.)
Reliance Employee 1: Arrey nahi... maine bola thaa aap mujhe phone kar dena (Oh no, I had told you to call me), I would have just telephoned him [top government official].
Reliance Employee 2: His secretary told that he was gone out of office, so I texted him on the same number.
Reliance Employee 1: Acha, just also tell me, ki wo jo 65 companies mein paisa gaya tha, wahan pe kya issue hai? (Ok, also tell me, the money that was spent in the 65 companies, what’s the issue there?) Because Dhal [VK Dhal, the then-secretary, DCA] has telephoned boss. He said two issues were left out of negotiation of 2 years... What did these companies do? You have given the money to him and in what form, when was the money returned back and what did they do?
Reliance Employee 2: RBI.. (Unclear).. then we have mentioned that it was meant for the goods and all the supplies, therefore we want to be out of any.
Reliance Employee 1: Okay. Was it given in advance or for purchase of shares?
Reliance Employee 2: Initially it was given to purchase of… of 50 companies and converted to purchase of securities of various companies… BSES, L&T are there… there was this cap also… So they cannot get the price, so the money was refunded.
Reliance Employee 1: Acha iska write-up hai kya tumhare pass? (Do you have the write-up for this?)
Reliance Employee 2: Haan sab mere pass padda hai. (Yes, I have everything lying around.)
Reliance Employee 1: Acha mujhe fax karoge? (Good, will you fax me?) When I reach office I will answer.
Reliance Employee 2: Okay.
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