Apex court examines Raja's review petition

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Supreme Court on Tuesday examined the petitions of the central government, former communications minister A. Raja and seven telecom companies seeking a review of its verdict quashing 122 licences for 2G mobile phone services issued in 2008.

An apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice K.S.P. Radhakrishnan examined the review petitions in the chamber in the afternoon. The outcome would be known later.

An apex court bench headed by Justice G.S. Singhvi Feb 2 quashed the licences. The court ruled that all natural resources should be allocated by auction.

The court asked the central government to complete the process of fresh auctioning of 122 licences within four months.

The government, in its petition, had said that it would require at least 400 days to complete the process of re-auctioning the cancelled licences.

It said that unlike 3G licences which were not shackled by legal wrangling, the auctioning of 2G licences would take much longer.

On a 2G case petition by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, the court had made adverse observations against some officials in the Prime Minister's Office.

On this aspect, the review government's petition said that they were damned without being afforded an opportunity of being heard. The apex court judgment on Swamy's plea was delivered Jan 31.

Raja, in his review petition, contended that "the judgment of this court, inasmuch as it condemns the actions and inactions of the petitioner as minister of communication and information technology in numerous places, is in violation of the basic principles of fair play and justice and of affording a person an opportunity of being heard before he is condemned".

Raja said the court made observations against him without granting him the opportunity of being heard.