The Shivraj Patil committee, set up to look into procedures for the allotment of licences and spectrum in 2001-2009, is understood to have identified former telecom minister A Raja and seven other government officials for lapses or violations in implementation of policy. However, the names of the officials could not be independently confirmed.
Patil, a former Supreme Court judge, submitted his report to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today.”We have identified the officials on whose part there was deficiency or violation or lapses,” he said.
The other officials believed to have been named include former Raja aide R K Chandolia and former secretary, department of telecommunications, Siddhartha Behura. Member (technology) R Sridhara, former wireless advisor P K Garg, as well as deputy director generals A K Srivastava and PK Mittal are also learnt to have been identified.
The 150-page report, with annexures running into 1,300 pages, also suggests remedial measures for a future course of action. “Some officials have been named and some procedures have been commented upon... what should be the future course of action for the grant of spectrum has also been commented upon,” said Sibal upon receiving the report.
Both Sibal and Patil declined to comment when asked about the role of Raja in the allocation procedure. Sibal said the government would study the report and its conclusions.
The one-man panel was set up by Sibal in December last year to review licensing policy and procedures in 2001-09, which includes a period under the NDA regime, and ascertain if they were followed in a transparent manner.
It was set up following a scathing comptroller & auditor general report, which said the award of new licences in 2008 at a price fixed in 2001, had resulted in the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer. CBI is also investigating the 2G spectrum case.
Raja was forced to resign after the CAG report was made public. There has been a deadlock between the Opposition and the government over a joint parliamentary committee to look into the 2G spectrum issue.
“CBI is dealing with the criminal culpability... That is a different issue. My report deals with the procedures followed by the department of telecom while granting licences and allocating spectrum during 2001 to 2009,” Patil said.
