2G case: Sunil Mittal, Ravi Ruia appear in special court; hearing adjourned until April 22

Sunil Mittal, the chairman of Bharti Airtel, and Ravi Ruia, one of the promoters of the diversified Essar Group, today appeared in a Delhi court that is hearing a case of alleged corruption in allocating mobile phone bandwidth. The court adjourned the hearing to April 22.

Mr. Mittal and Mr. Ruia also furnished personal bonds in pursuance of the Supreme Court's direction. Special CBI judge O.P. Saini accepted their bonds till the next date of hearing and posted the matter for further proceedings on April 22.

"It is submitted that vide order of April 15, the Supreme Court has been pleased to adjourn the matter to April 22. Accordingly, the matter is adjourned till April 22.

"It is further submitted that accused Sunil Mittal and Ravi Ruia were also directed to furnish personal bonds. Accordingly, both have furnished personal bonds and it is accepted till the next date," the judge said.

Last month, the court had asked Mr Mittal; Mr. Ruia; Shyamal Ghosh, a former secretary of the Department of Telecommunications; and Asim Ghosh, the former head of Vodafone's Indian unit, to appear before it on April 11, saying they "represent the directing mind and will of each company". None of them have been charged in the case.

Mr Mittal and Mr Ruia have moved the Supreme Court to seek that the summons be quashed. The top court said yesterday that it will hear their petitions on April 22.

Last week, the Supreme Court had directed the lower court to postpone its summons to Mr. Mittal until April 16, today, but Mr Mittal, Mr Ruia and Shyamal Ghosh had appeared in the Delhi CBI court on April 11.

The CBI had in December charged Bharti Airtel and two companies that are now part of Vodafone's Indian unit with alleged irregularities in obtaining mobile phone airwaves in 2002.

Vodafone, which entered India in 2007, has previously declined to comment on the case.

With inputs from PTI and Reuters