New Delhi, March 12: The CBI is undecided whether to name DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter and wife in the first 2G case chargesheet, which it says will be filed by March 31.
A senior CBI officer said the first chargesheet would definitely name former telecom minister A. Raja, his associates Siddhartha Behura and R.K. Chandolia, and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa.
But he added that the names of Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and her stepmother Dayalu Ammal, whom the agency questioned yesterday, might be held back for a supplementary chargesheet that would be filed later.
The Tamil Nadu elections, where the Congress and the DMK are allies, are scheduled on April 13.
The officer said the agency was racing against time to meet the Supreme Court’s March 31 deadline, so it would not be possible to include all the accused in the first chargesheet.
Asked specifically about Kanimozhi and Dayalu Ammal, he said: “The names of Raja, his associates and Balwa are certain to figure in the first chargesheet. But we are yet to decide on the other names, such as those of officials from the telecom companies that got 2G licences. We are taking legal advice about the inclusion of the other names.”
CBI director A.P. Singh has called a meeting next week to finalise the names to be included in the first chargesheet. Officers of the anti-corruption branch and some legal experts will attend the meeting.
The CBI source hinted that the names of the telecom company officials might be kept back for the supplementary chargesheet.
The agency has questioned several executives from telecom companies such as Reliance Communications, Tata Infrastructure, Essar, Loop Telecom, Spice and Aircel. The CBI has also questioned Anil Ambani as his company once held shares in Swan Telecom.
In January 2008, Raja’s ministry had granted licences to nine firms: Datacom (now Videocon Telecom), Swan Telecom (now Etisalat DB), Unitech Wireless (now Uninor), Loop Telecom, STel, Allianz, Idea, Aircel and Spice.
An officer said the agency had enough documentary evidence that certain companies were allotted spectrum licences in violation of the guidelines set by telecom regulator Trai.
