2G case: Ravi Ruia moves Supreme Court to challenge summons

Now after Bharti Airtel chief Sunil Bharti Mittal, vice chairman of Essar Group Ravi Ruia has moved to the apex court challenging special court summons in the 2G spectrum case. This, he filed after Mittal got interim relief from the Supreme Court on Monday.

Taking cue from it, Ruia dashed his plea in the court contending that he was not even at the helm of affairs when he was in Sterling Cellular. Ruia's plea termed the trial court's decision to summon him as grave.

CBI special judge OP Saini summoned Ruia, Mittal and Asim Ghosh, former Hutchison Essar (now Vodafone India) CEO to appear in person in connection with allocation of additional spectrum during the NDA regime on April 11.

The probe agency, however, did not make all three accussed in its Dec 21, 2012 chargesheet that had prompted the Supreme Court to grant interim relief to Mittal, despite prima facie case against them.

The agency told the special court that additional spectrum was allotted on July 17, 2002, to Bharti Cellular (now Bharti Airtel) and Sterling Cellular (now Vodafone) for the Delhi metro area, and Hutchison Max (now Vodafone India) for Mumbai metro area.

The agency told the court that additional spectrum was allotted July 17, 2002, to Bharti Cellular (now Bharti Airtel) and Sterling Cellular (now Vodafone Mobile Service) for the Delhi metro area, and Hutchison Max (now Vodafone India) for Mumbai metro area.

CBI had named three telecom firms as accused for criminal conspiracy and slapped charges under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for causing a loss of about Rs 850 crore to the national exchequer.