Summon PM as defence witness in 2G scam case: Balwa’s lawyer

The lawyes for Shahid Usman Balwa, the promoter of Swan Telecom and DB Realty, told a special court in Delhi on Wednesday that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should have named prime minister Manmohan Singh as one of the witnesses in the case.
 
The CBI had produced letters written by former telecom minister A Raja – now in custody in connection with the 2G telecom scam – to Singh as an annexe to its charge-sheet.

Raja was in fact in regular touch with the prime minister and had kept him abreast of the developments, said Majid Memon, Balwa's advocate.
 
In its first charge-sheet, the CBI had claimed that Raja had misled the prime minister. ''If it is so, then it should be the prime minister who should say this, not the CBI,'' argued the advocate.

Memon said that since the prime minister had not objected to the procedure adopted by Raja for allocation of 2G spectrum – as indicated by the former minister in his letter to Singh – then he should testify in court as a defence witness.
 
Memon told the special CBI court that when Swan Telecom had applied for the licenses, Raja was not the telecom minister, nor was R K Chandolia (another accused, also under arrest) his secretary.
 
Balwa's advocate also told the court that CBI was discriminating against his client, as it had not taken action against Tata Teleservices Ltd.

He said Tata Teleservices had bid for 2G spectrum allocation at the same time as Swan Telecom, but its promoter had been jailed by the CBI.
 
''CBI is treating Balwa unequally,'' said Memon. ''Was Tata Teleservices not sailing in the same boat? If CBI has not touched Tata, then it should not have touched my client,'' he said, accusing the CBI of double standards.
 
The advocate also sought bail for Balwa, pointing out that the offence under which he had been charged did not fall under the category of a grave crime punishable up to life imprisonment or death.

''The CBI wants this court to believe that the accused persons are dangerous people who have committed a serious offence,'' said Majid. ''The agency is trying to project him as a dangerous man.''
 
Balwa was ready to abide by the conditions set by the court if he was released on bail, said his advocate. But the court adjourned the matter for further hearing on May 3.