2G: CBI indicts Raja’s legal advisor in third charge-sheet

The Central Bureau of Investigation has called for departmental action against Santokh Singh, legal advisor to former telecom minister A Raja, for allegedly suppressing facts in the case of Loop Telecom and the shareholding of Essar in it.

The CBI on Tuesday filed its second supplementary chargesheet, and the third overall, against Raja and 16 co-accused against whom the trial has already begun in the 2G spectrum and license allocation case.

The chargesheet lists in chronological order the manner in which various telecom companies had approached the ministry in 2007, and how legal advisor Santokh Singh, who was shunted from the telcom ministry last year, allegedly suppressed the facts in presenting the case of various telecom companies while awarding spectrum in 2008.

Singh has been accused of having "wrongfully" advised allotment of permits to Loop Telecom mobile, and the agency claims he was aware that the company was in alleged violation of telecom guidelines.

Essar and Loop Telecom have denied any wrong doing in the case and maintained that Essar's stakes were just 2.15 per cent in Loop, owned by the Dubai-based Khaitan family.

When contacted Singh, who has since retired, refused to comment on the development.