NEW DELHI: The CBI and ED won a partial victory in the Delhi High Court on Monday when it rejected various requests challenging the sanction of the central government to the CBI to appeal against the acquittal of former telecommunications minister A Raja and others in relation to the case of allocation of 2G spectrum.
However, the request for early hearings presented by the investigating agency to expedite the decision that his appeal be admitted before the retirement of Judge Brijesh Sethi became unsuccessful after the judge transferred the case to another court and included it in the list from December 1. He is retiring on November 30 of this year.
The HC, although it rejected the statement of Raja and others, including the former secretary of telecommunications Siddharth Behura, also held that the amendments to the anti-corruption law made later would not apply to the cases registered before, therefore, the 2018 amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act related to Section 13 (1) (d) would not come to the rescue of the acquitted. defendant in this appeal.
Raja, through attorney Manu Sharma, argued that the IWC’s appeal against acquittals in the 2G case had become unsuccessful with the advent of the new anti-corruption law. He told the court that the corruption charges brought against him and others in the case have been omitted in the new Prevention of Corruption Act of 2018 and, therefore, the prosecution in the present matter cannot continue.
Apart from Raja and Behura, Raja’s then-private secretary RK Chandolia and Bollywood film producer Karim Morani had also raised the issue in separate requests.
The CBI and the ED have challenged the acquittal by a trial court of all individuals and businesses in 2G scam corruption and money laundering cases. He had also filed an appeal against the acquittal of the Essar Group promoters. Ravi Kant Ruia Y Anshuman Ruia, and six others in a separate case arising from the 2G scam investigation.
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