CBI agrees to court monitoring of 2G scam probe

Pulled up by the Supreme Court for failure to act on leads over the possible bungling in the allocation of radio spectrum for second generation telecom services, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today told the court that it was agreeable to court monitoring the probe and filing of status reports in sealed covers.

A bench comprising Justice GS Singhvi and Justice AK Ganguly overruled the initial opposition of CBI counsel K K Venugopal saying that the case is no ordinary one and that the inquiry also would not fit into the routine.

The SC bench is hearing a petition filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation for an inquiry by the CBI or Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the 2G spectrum scandal.

Counsel Venugopal had argued that the court could monitor the probe only if the probe violates statutory provisions or if it was not being done in the right direction and that the court should not go into the merits of the case.

To this, Justice Ganguly said: "This is not an ordinary scam. If you go into the monetary aspect, you cannot compare this with any other scam. Consider the magnitude and volume as highlighted by the CAG. This scam will put all other scams put together to shame."

The counsel, however, agreed that the court could monitor the probe but wanted the court to ensure that such monitoring does not put the investigating officers under pressure.