New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to hold a crucial meeting with key Cabinet members on Saturday to find a way out of the 2G mess.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Law Minister Salman Khursheed and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would review the rules and guidelines to be applied for an auction of 2G spectrum.
They will decide whether to cancel licences issued in 2008 under the NDA rule, what should be the new policy towards spectrum sale and what new law needs to be framed.
They will likely discuss the fallout of 122 2G licences cancelled by the Supreme Court earlier this month.
They are also likely to decide whether to move a leave petition on the recent SC order on mandatory prosecution within 4 months.
The Supreme Court earlier this month cancelled 122 licences for mobile networks issued in 2008.
In a huge relief to Home Minister P Chidambaram and to the UPA government, a Delhi court earlier threw out a plea to make him a co-accused in the 2G spectrum case.
The Patiala House Court of Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge OP Saini held that Chidambaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy or derive any pecuniary advantage in the decisions taken with former telecom minister A Raja.
Judge Saini's single-line order ended the suspense about the fate of the Home Minister. There was no evidence to make Union Home Minister P Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G scam.
Petitioner Subramanian Swamy was surprised by the order. Swamy said that he will now move High Court within three months against Special CBI Judge OP Saini's order in the 2G scam. "I am surprised because my evidence against Chidambaram was complete," Swamy claimed.
Swamy had alleged that then Finance Minister Chidambaram had conspired with then telecom minister A Raja to fix spectrum prices and causes a loss to the exchequer. Swamy also alleged that Chidambaram compromised national security by allowing Swan Telecom and Unitech dilution of equity.
"I do not find any sufficient ground for proceeding against Mr P Chidambaram. The plea is without any merit and the same is dismissed," said the judge.
In his order the judge wrote: "In a case of criminal conspiracy, the Court has to see whether two persons are independently pursuing the same end or they are acting together in pursuit of an unlawful act. One may be acting innocently and other may be actuated by criminal intention. Innocuous, inadvertent or innocent acts do not make one party to the conspiracy."
"As per Cabinet note dated 31.10.2003, the decision regarding spectrum pricing was to be taken by Finance Minister and MOC&IT and after this decision was taken, Mr P Chidambaram agreed that it would be the price as discovered in the year 2001 and also told Mr A Raja that there is no need to revisit the same. This decision was subsequently conveyed to the Hon’ble Prime Minister also. To that extent, there is material on record," the order said.
Judge Saini however ruled that "both of these acts, are not per se illegal or violative of any law. There is no material on record to show that Mr P Chidambaram was acting malafide in fixing the price of spectrum at the 2001 level or in permitting dilution of equity by the two companies. There is no further material on record to show any other incriminating act on the part of Mr P Chidambaram."
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