Court accepts Swamy’s complaint against Raja

NEW DELHI - A complaint against former communications minister Andimuthu Raja filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy was Friday accepted by a court here, calling it “maintainable”.

“I am of the opinion that the complaint as such is maintainable,” Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Pradeep Chaddah said.

Subramanian Swamy, who moved a special CBI court to hold Raja as an accused in the 2G spectrum scam, had also requested to be allowed to fight the case as a public prosecutor.

The court, however, said that Subramanian Swamy will have to depose as a complainant in the case and then only his plea, seeking appointment as a deemed public prosecutor, could be decided.

“He could not make me a public prosecutor today (Friday) because you can’t be a public prosecutor and a witness at the same time. So, we had to get this out of the way and today it has been done,” Subramanian Swamy told a news channel outside the court.

Subramanian Swamy had earlier submitted his request to the CBI court that Raja should be summoned in the scam under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He also wanted official agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to assist him.

“Mr Raja willfully, deliberately violated not only the norms of the ministry but he disregarded the opinion of all his senior colleagues, including the prime minister, and he favoured a few companies,” Subramanian Swamy said.

“All these companies were real estate companies and not telecom companies. They were not entitled to get it (spectrum) but they got it,” he said.

He, however, maintained that the prime minister was not to be blamed for the scam.

“Prime minister was a puppet, it’s no use blaming the puppet. Blame the puppeteer,” he said.

He alleged that the spectrum was resold to foreign companies with dubious background.

“Within a few months they sold it to foreign companies. These foreign companies, according to the home ministry report, are ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) controlled. One of the board members is said to be an associate of Dawood Ibrahim, which brings the national security in question,” he said.

Swamy also alleged that the spectrum allocation benefited those close to Raja and his party DMK.

“Raja’s party, well-wishers, his wife, Karunanidhi’s (DMK chief) family, all have been direct or indirect beneficiaries of this. Raja’s own asset statement has risen by 121 percent from 2004 to 2009 when he re-contested the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

DMK leader Raja has been accused of selling spectrum at a price lower than the market rates, costing the exchequer huge losses.