CBI raids Raja's residences

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday searched the home and offices of former telecommunications minister Andimuthu Raja and four of his associates in the telecommunications department in connection with the alleged scam in 2G spectrum allocation. Raja's personal secretary R K Chandolia was among those raided.

Investigators began the searches on Wednesday morning in Delhi and Chennai at the residences of Raja, who was forced to resign as minister on 14 November in the wake of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report that the rates at which 2G spectrum was allotted resulted in a possible loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs1.76 lakh crore.

Raids were also carried out at the residences of former telecom secretary Siddarth Behura, R K Chandolia, member of the telecom commission K Sridhar and deputy director general in the Department of Telecommunications A K Srivastava.

The opposition has forced the parliament to stay shut since the start of the winter session in early November, demanding a joint parliamentary committee inquiry into the an alleged telecom licence and spectrum scandal in 2007-2008.

The move against Raja may help the coalition government placate the opposition and break the parliamentary deadlock, which has stalled the passage of key economic reform bills.

Raja denies any wrongdoing. He has welcomed the CBI investigation and says his innocence will be proven.