Indian court rejects pleas against Ambani, Tata in 2G spectrum case

A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed a case asking that it direct the Central Bureau of Investigation to frame charges against Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, Tata group chief Ratan Tata, corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and DMK party chief M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal in its prosecution of the alleged 2G spectrum scam, reports India's Hindu newspaper.

The judge levied a fine of Rs 10,000 (about $200) each on the two men who filed the complaint for frivolous litigation, the paper said.

“The applications are not only devoid of any substance but are also contrary to law and deserve to be dismissed with heavy cost as application after application of this nature are being filed by third parties resulting into loss of precious time of the court," the Hindu quoted Special CBI Judge O.P. Saini as saying.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel told the 2G Special Court that there was no irregularity in the granting of 2G licences to the Tata group, Moneycontol.com reported separately. Apparently, no mention was made of the license awarded to Reliance ADAG.

For a primer on the 2G spectrum case, read an account here.  But the gist is that various parties allege that former telecom minister A. Raja improperly allocated 122 2G spectrum licenses, purportedly on a first-come, first-served basis, in exchange for massive kickbacks routed through a convoluted chain of shell companies. So far Raja, his daughter (a fellow leader in the Tamil Nadu-based DMK party) and 12 others have been arrested in connection with the case.

Along with Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa and director Vinod Goenka, Unitech director Sanjay Chandra, those arrested include three officials from Reliance ADAG — Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara.