Subramaniam Swamy surprised by trial court verdict

New Delhi - Janta Party President and petitioner in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, Subramaniam Swamy, on Saturday expressed surprise over a Delhi trial court’s ruling to dismiss his petition to make Union Home Minister P Chidambaram a co-accused in the case.

Swamy said: “ My first reaction is that I am surprised, and my second reaction is, that as in the other matters concerning 2G, if I lose in one court, I go to another court. When I lost the sanction matter in the Delhi High Court, I went to the Supreme Court. Similarly, when I lost the matter on the cancellation of licenses in the high court, I went to the Supreme Court. Both orders were reversed in the Supreme Court. Therefore, I think, this decision will also get reversed in the apex court.”

Swamy further said he will appeal against the trial court’s order in the Delhi High Court and would make a detailed comment on Sunday after going through Saturday’s order.

Swamy has alleged that Chidambaram was equally culpable like former telecom minister A Raja, as he also had a role in deciding on spectrum pricing and allowing telecom companies to off-load shares to foreign firms.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court revoked 122 telecom licenses issued under a scandal-tainted 2008 sale, leaving the government acutely embarrassed and plunging the mobile network market of Asia’s third-largest economy into uncertainty.

Prime Minister Singh’s government has overseen the sale of licenses at below-market prices, costing the exchequer up to 39 billion dollars in lost revenues.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed a lower trial court to decide on whether Chidambaram should be probed in the 2G scam.

Former Raja was forced to resign in 2010 and sent to jail last year after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) faulted him for undervaluing spectrum to favour companies who were largely ineligible for 2G spectrum.

Swamy has submitted documents dating back to April 21, 2008 that claim that Chidambaram had discussed with Raja the prices of 2G Spectrum.

Swamy has accused Chidambaram of signing off on the telecom deal when he was finance minister.