E-Paper
2G panel spots lapses during Raja's tenure
The one-man committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Shivaraj V Patil appointed by the government on December 9, submitted its report on the alleged irregularities in allotting the 2G spectrum since 2001.
The one-man committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Shivaraj V Patil appointed by the government on December 9, submitted its report on the alleged irregularities in allotting the 2G spectrum since 2001.
The report pointed out that there were "serious procedural lapses" during the tenure of former telecommunications minister A Raja, a senior official told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity.
The biggest lapse during Raja's tenure was manipulation of the cut-off date for submission of applications under the ministry's first-come-first-served policy.
Raja did not take calls. He did not respond to SMS messages either.
But Raja was not alone in being pulled up. Patil also found irregularities during the regime of a previous minister. "In his case, the companies were picked and chosen arbitrarily for allotting spectrum," the official said.
The report has also named more than 10 officials of the "Access Service" division of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
"I have identified the officials on whose part there was deficiency or lapses," Patil told reporters while submitting his report.
"Some officials have been named and some procedures have been commented upon," he said. "What the future course of action should be for the grant of spectrum has also been commented upon," said Communications and IT minister Kapil Sibal.
The mandate of Patil committee was to look into the policies and procedures followed during the distribution of licences and spectrum between 2001 and 2009, and find out if they were followed in a transparent manner. It did not look into or comment upon the specific policy of allotting spectrum in 2008 at 2001 prices. This, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General, could have cost the nation up to Rs 176,000 crore.
Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.
