SC to resume hearings in 2G case on Monday

New Delhi: As the Supreme Court opens on Monday after a week-long holiday, it will further hear the plea by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the role of then finance minister and present Home Minister P Chidambram in deciding the 2G spectrum price along with the then communication minister A Raja.

Besides this, a bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly will hold further hearing on the plea by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) seeking monitoring and supervision of the CBI probe into 2G scam by two to three independent experts on a day-to-day basis.

The CBI has opposed the CPIL's plea for appointment of two to three people of "good reputation and experience to oversee and monitor the CBI investigation".

The agency told the court that such a plea by the CPIL was based on its "lack of knowledge of the facts of the investigation and their appreciation".

Senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the probe agency, had contended that such a move could hamper the investigation and could even retard its pace.

Besides Venugopal, senior counsel P.P.Rao has opposed Swamy's plea seeking a CBI probe against Chidambaram.

The central government has taken exception to CPIL counsel Prashant Bhushan's contention that the CBI investigation into 2G scam was less than honest and its top 40 officers belonged to the IPS (Indian Police Service) cadre, which in turn was controlled by the home ministry headed by Chidambaram.

The Monday hearing will also see Bhushan replying to the submissions made by the CBI in response to a CPIL note submitted by him earlier. The CPIL counsel has contended that "there was nothing" in the submission by the investigating agency.

Swamy too would make a submission on the CBI's assertion that it had gone into the documents submitted by the Janata Party president and there was nothing in it, as it was a mere compilation of earlier material in respect of the 2G case.

The document, submitted by Swamy, was a finance ministry note of March 25, 2011 to the prime minister's office, giving a chronology of communications that were exchanged within the government leading to the allotment of 2G spectrum.