After 2G verdict, Videocon wants speedy trial of case against Centre seeking Rs 10,000 crore: ET
The telecom firm had sought damages in 2015 for the losses it had to face after the Supreme Court cancelled its 2G licence after the scam was exposed.
With the special Central Bureau of Investigation court acquitting all the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation cases, Videocon Telecom has said it will now push for a speedy trial in a case it filed against the government in 2015, The Economic Times reported on Saturday.
The firm had filed a case with the telecom tribunal, seeking damages worth Rs 10,000 crore from the government to compensate it for the losses it had to face after the Supreme Court cancelled its 2G licence after the scam was exposed.
An unidentified senior executive told The Economic Times that the judgment will strengthen their case. “We’ve taken a loss of Rs 25,000 crore to the business even when there was no fault of ours,” the official was quoted as saying.
In 2008, during former Telecom Minister A Raja’s tenure, 2G spectrum and licences were awarded on a first come, first served basis. After a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said 2G licences were issued to telecom operators at throwaway prices, causing losses of up to Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer, the Supreme Court cancelled 122 telecom licences and spectrum allocated in January 2008.
Videocon said it will also highlight the fact that the Supreme Court, even while cancelling its licences, noted that Videocon was not involved in any wrongdoing, the report said.
While passing the judgment on December 21, Special Judge OP Saini criticised the CBI for “misreading” the case.
“There is no evidence on the record produced before the court indicating any criminality in the acts allegedly committed by the accused persons,” the judge said. “The chargesheet of the instant case is based mainly on misreading, selective reading, non-reading and out of context reading of the official record.”
Raja, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi, former Telecom Secretary Sidharth Behura and Raja’s private secretary RK Chandolia were among those acquitted in the case.