Panel on 2G spectrum gives report, 'names' officials

The one-man panel that went into the procedures for giving 2G licences between 2001 and 2009 on Monday submitted its report and is understood to have held some officials responsible for improper spectrum allotment.

The Justice Shivraj Patil Committee was set up by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to look into the policies and procedures followed during 2001-2009, a period that includes the National Democratic Alliance regime, and ascertain if they were followed in a transparent manner.

"Some officials have been named and some procedures have been commented upon. What the future course of action should be for the grant of spectrum has been commented upon," Sibal said after receiving the report.

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The committee was constituted to look at the internal departmental procedures adopted by the DoT during 2001-09 with the issuance of telecom, access service licences and allocation of spectrum to all telecom access service licencees during this period.

This was done in view of government auditor CAG quantifying the revenue loss to the exchequer on account of the sale of 2G licences and spectrum in 2008 by former telecom minister A Raja, who insists that he only followed the policies of his predecessors, at up to Rs 1.76 lakh crore (Rs 1.76 trillion).

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Justice Patil has submitted a 150-page report with annexures running into 1,300 pages.

Sibal did not divulge details of the findings, but said he would soon look into the report.

On December 9, the government had appointed a one-man committee of retired Supreme Court Justice Shivaraj V Patil to probe the alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum since 2001, a period involving the NDA regime.

Justic Patil was to "examine the appropriateness of procedures by the DOT in the issuances of licences and allocation of spectrum during the period 2001-2009."