2G Spectrum ‘Scam’: What Joint Parliamentary Committee Report Said

The CAG’s “presumptive loss” theory was condemned by the Joint Parliamentary Committee report on 2G allocation.

PC Chacko, the chairman of the JPC during the 2G ‘scam’. Image used for representation.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

In a new twist to the 2G spectrum ‘scam’, the 17 accused in the case were acquitted of all charges by a special CBI court in New Delhi on Thursday, 21 December.

“I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any accused,” said CBI Judge OP Saini, acquitting former telecom minister A Raja, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and 15 other accused.

The scam took centre-stage after the Supreme Court issued notices to the then telecom minister A Raja and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 13 September 2010, following a PIL filed by two activist groups and independent journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, which claimed that the exchequer had borne a loss of Rs 70,000 crore due to the 2G spectrum allocation.

Also Read: Bribes, Lies & Radia Tapes: The Full Rundown on 2G Spectrum ‘Scam’

The other two petitioners were the then general secretary of the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, Prashant Bhushan, and the former secretary of NGO ‘Telecom Watchdog’, Anil Kumar.

The trial in the 2G spectrum scam, which cost the then Manmohan Singh-led UPA government heavily, began in 2011 after the court had framed charges against the 17 accused. All the accused in these cases had consistently denied the charges levelled against them.

Also Read: All Accused in 2G Verdict Acquitted: Here’s A Recap

What Did the JPC Report Say?

The CAG’s “presumptive loss” theory was condemned by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) (headed by PC Chacko) report on allocation and pricing of telecom licences, and the 2G spectrum.

The JPC report said that the calculations of the CAG report which helped it reach loss figures between Rs 57,666 crore and Rs 1.76-lakh crore were “untenable” and “unrealistic”.

As cited in this 2013 article by The Hindu, the JPC report quashed the basis of CAG’s “loss theory” saying that the DoT believed that allotting extra equity for attracting FDI was fair practice among corporates. Further, the CBI wasn’t able to establish in its probe that the FDI policy applicable in the telecom sector had been breached.

Also Read: Here’s What 2G Case Judge OP Saini Said While Delivering Verdict