New Delhi: Fresh summons have been issued to top executives of Essar and Loop Telecom, accused in the 2G spectrum scam case, after they didn't appear before a Delhi court on Friday. The CBI has chargesheeted the two companies and five executives for criminal conspiracy and cheating to get the 2G license.
The five executives - Essar Promoter Director Anshuman Ruia, Essar Vice Chairman Ravi Ruia, Essar Group Director (Strategy & Planning) Vikas Saraf, Loop Telecom's Kiran Khaitan and IP Khaitan - were issued summoned by the special Central Bureau of India (CBI) judge OP Saini in December 2011.
The court has now asked Anshuman Ruia, Ravi Ruia, Kiran Khaitan and IP Khaitan to appear before the court on February 22 after their lawyers stated that they had not received summons from the special CBI judge.
"Summons has not been served to my client at his proper residential address and he is seeking one month exemption as he is at present abroad," senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Vikash Saraf, Essar group Director (Strategy and Planning) said.
However, the representatives of accused firms, Loop Telecom Pvt Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Teleholdings appeared before the court in pursuance to the summons.
Special Public Prosecutor UU Lalit questioned the non-appearance of some of the accused saying that the defence counsel were "indirectly asking for the stay of proceedings" which they failed to get from the Delhi High Court.
The defence counsel on Friday said the matter should be adjourned till the Supreme Court decides the jurisdiction of the special court.
All the five have been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 and 120(b), which deals with cheating and criminal conspiracy in the 2G scam.
While IP Khaitan is the promoter of Santa Trading and one of the main investors in Loop Telecom, Kiran Khaitan is Ravi Ruia's sister and IP Khaitan's wife.
Earlier Essar, Loop and the CBI were on January 24, 2012 directed by the Delhi High Court to approach the Supreme Court whether the charges against them in a case arising out of 2G scam probe could be heard by a magistrate or the special court which had been hearing the scam.
The High Court had asked the two companies and the CBI to seek clarifications from the apex court on its earlier directions to set up a special court for trial of the 2G case and no judicial fora, except it, would entertain any pleas related to the matter.
The direction came after a brief hearing on the petitions of Essar Teleholdings Ltd and Loop Telecom Ltd that the case against them, arising out of the 2G scam, be taken out of the court of the special judge to a magistrate's court as there was no corruption charges.
(With Additional Information from PTI)
Comments
0 comment