New Delhi:
A trial court in Delhi today allowed Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy to testify and present his case against Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G scam at its next hearing on December 17.
On that date, Mr Swamy will also explain to the court why he needs to examine two witnesses in connection with his complaint seeking that Mr Chidambaram be made a co-accused in the case. The witnesses are HC Awasthi, a Joint Director with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Sindhushree Khullar, who has served as Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry.
Mr Swamy has said that the examination of these witnesses will help him establish Mr Chidambaram's alleged role in the 2G scam. He wants to confront them with documents that he says will establish Mr Chidambaram's complicity.
The court's order involving Mr Chidambaram immediately resonated in Parliament with the Opposition seizing upon the opportunity to again corner the government over the 2G case. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pressed for the Home Minister's resignation.
"We have maintained that Chidambaram is as guilty as Raja in the 2G case. So we want the PM to accept his resignation as well. The PM did not do so", senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said.
Meanwhile, there are four possibilities at the next stage, once Mr Swamy has testified before the court.
The court could reject his demand that Mr Chidambaram be made a co-accused; convinced with Mr Swamy's testimony, the court could allow him to examine the two officials; it could take the view that Mr Swamy has a strong enough case against the Union Home Minister, that there's no need to summon the two witnesses and that Mr Chidambaram can be summoned straight away or it could direct the CBI to probe Mr Swamy's allegations against Mr Chidambaram, meaning, in effect, that the Home Minister would then have become a co-accused.
The telecom scam unfolded in 2008 when A Raja as Telecom Minister gifted licenses and spectrum to ineligible companies. Mr Raja was arrested in February. Mr Swamy contends that Mr Chidambaram endorsed the decisions that allowed Mr Raja to execute his swindle.
Mr Swamy has also moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe against Mr Chidambaram. An order on that petition is still awaited.