CBI names Hasan Ali’s lawyer for spectrum case

The CBI on Friday suggested appointing senior Supreme Court advocate UU Lalit as the special public prosecutor to conduct the trial of 2G case before the special court. HT reports.

The CBI on Friday suggested appointing senior Supreme Court advocate UU Lalit as the special public prosecutor to conduct the trial of 2G case before the special court.

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Senior counsel KK Venugopal informed the bench of justice GS Singhvi and justice AK Ganguly that Lalit had expressed his reluctance to the appointment but had later agreed to take up the job in "public interest."

Incidentally, Lalit is representing Hasan Ali Khan before another SC bench in the black money case.

Venugopal told the court that CBI preferred Lalit for the job as he had experience in criminal law and is the most appropriate person to head the team of prosecutors in the case.

The petitioner's counsel Prashant Bhushan suggested the names of senior advocates Arvind Nigam and Harish Gulati to be appointed as special public prosecutor. However, the bench said if needed they could be considered for Lalit's team.

Pursuant to Venugopal's suggestion, the bench asked the government for its response. Additional solicitor general Indira Jaisingh, appearing for the Centre, told the court that she would take instructions on notification to appoint Lalit as the special prosecutor by April 4, the next date of hearing.

Meanwhile, the CBI also informed the bench that it was willing to take over the probe into the mysterious death of Sadiq Batcha, a close aide former telecom minister A Raja, the prime accused in the scam. The bench sought the Centre's response on the transfer of the case to the CBI.

It once again expressed satisfaction over the progress of CBI investigation into the case. "We are seeing that things are being taken up expeditiously," the bench said.

CBI to submit chargesheet today

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum and Unified Access Services licences in 2007-8, will on Saturday submit its over 80,000-page charge sheet with annexures in a designated special court against former telecom minister A Raja, former telecom secretary Sidharth Behura, Raja’s former private secretary RK Chandolia, and other co-accused including Shahid Balwa of Swan Telecom Private Limited.

The accused persons, including former public servants, will be charged for allegedly defrauding the exchequer and awarding licences at nominal rate to a selected few under charges ranging from criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, to corruption.