CBI clears Tata Teleservices of wrongdoing in 2G scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing 2G scam, today cleared Tata Teleservices Ltd of any irregularities during its application for licences to offer telecommunication services, even as media reports linked a second minister in the central cabinet with India's biggest corruption scandal.

The CBI, which told a special court that Tata Teleservices Ltd followed all rules while seeking licences to offer telecommunication services under global positioning system mobile communication technology and did not receive any favours. 

The CBI's assertion came in response to a plea filed in the court claiming that Niira Radia (a corporate lobbyist) had played an active role in the grant of licences to Tata Teleservices.

"The CBI, much before the filing of the charge sheet and during the course of the investigation, had information about the violation in the granting of licences to Tata Teleservices under pressure and active role played by Radia, but either deliberately or due to oversight, the CBI had missed the vital role of other persons in terms of the allotment of the licences to Tata Teleservices," the deponent had claimed.

The court is looking into alleged rigging of the sale of telecom licences and bandwidth in 2007-2008. The Supreme Court is monitoring the case and had directed the government to set up the special court.

In 2008, Tata Teleservices, which belongs to the diversified Tata group, was awarded licences and spectrum to add GSM technology to the code division multiple access-based platform it was then offering.