'Assets of 5 firms being attached in 2G case'

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it had initiated attachment proceedings against five companies in connection with the allotment of second generation (2G) telecom spectrum.

The court was given the information in a sealed envelope.

The apex court bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice AK Ganguly was told that the companies illegally gained Rs 2,000 crore each after the grant of spectrum and licences.

Appearing for the directorate, senior counsel KK Venugopal said that some two months will be required to complete the attachment proceedings, since it involved issuance of notices and, in some cases, identification of properties.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its status report, told the court that the central government had issued a notification April 23 appointing UU Lalit as special public prosecutor in the 2G scam case.

The probe agency also said that it would require some more time to pursue the leads it was working on.