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The Hindu2G spectrum scam: CBI summons A Raja, Radia for questioning
1 hour agoThe CBI issued notices to Raja, who is now in Chennai, and Radia asking ... Baijal is a former chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). ...Daily News & Analysis - 229 related articles2G scam: CBI summons A Raja for questioning - The Times of India
20 Dec 2010 ... Besides the former telecom minister, the CBI will also question lobbyist Niira Radia, former TRAI chairman Pradeep Baijal, Raja aides R K ...
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an agency of India that serves as a criminal ... The CBI is a central subject under the Constitution of India, ...
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100+ posts - 86 authors - Last post: 17 Sep 2009Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier intelligence agency of India. As on date, CBI has the following Divisions: ...
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In India, intelligence jobs have main opening with Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the premier intelligence agency of our country. ...
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4 Dec 2010 ... Hackers from Pakistan hacked the website of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday (December 3).
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DMK did not insist on telecom portfolio for Raja: Karunanidhi
The Hindu - 6 minutes agoThe Hindu Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday said his party was not adamant in getting the Telecom portfolio for A. Raja during the UPA government formation in 2009.
Video: I am not afraid of CBI - A Raja
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Naidu continues fast in hospital, condition deteriorates
IANS - Sun, Dec 19 5:11 PM ISTHyderabad, Dec 20 (IANS) Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu continued his indefinite fast at the hospital where he was shifted after being arrested by police early Monday, prompting his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to call for a statewide shutdown. More »
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I am not afraid of CBI - A Raja
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pV-ZCQgfdIU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pV-ZCQgfdIU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>No one is adraud of CBI.
No one is afraid of Judiciary at all!
No one is afraid of PCA.
Nothing may be achieed with any Joint parliamentary committee!
These have becone most significant tools to balckmail Political Oposition and are most useful to tame the CO OPTED SC ST BC OBC and minority leaders! As we have seen so many times in the cases against Lalu, Mulayam, Mayawati and Jai Lalita!
Supreme priority for the government of india remains to address Corporate nervousness! india Incs manipulated mandate to have the real Political power and the Governance, Legislation, Policy Making and Administrative power is endowed with extra constitutional India incs, MNCs and LPG Mafia slaves who defend the Manusmriti Rule and the interests of Global zionsit manusmriti corpoarte imperialist Dascist Anti people anti nature order!
In the winter session of the Parliament, the Prime Minister took the battle to the opposition camp, saying that he would be "happy" to appear before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, as he has nothing to hide. But on the opposition's demands for a JPC Probe, Singh remained adamant, saying a JPC will only delay the inquiry.
Meanwhile, A Raja is putting up a brave front. Responding to the CBI notice asking him to appear for questioning in the 2G spectrum scam—Raja said he's not afraid of the CBI and will cooperate with investigations. "I am not avoiding from any process of law. I have high respect for law. CBI is well aware that what kind of co-operation has been extended by Mr A Raja. The extension of co-operation will continue in all respect," he said.
I am happy to appear before PAC, says PM
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – Sun, Dec 19 7:44 AM IST
New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said he had nothing to hide and he would be happy to appear before parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) if it called him in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.'I wish to state categorically that I have nothing to hide from the public at large, and as a proof of my bonafides I intend to write to the chairman of the PAC that I shall be happy to appear before the PAC if it chooses to ask me to do so,' the prime minister said at the Congress plenary session here.
He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been falsely propagating that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was against a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe because 'we do not want the prime minister to be questioned by a parliamentary committee, thereby implying I have something to hide'.
The prime minister said he had tried to serve the country to the best of his abilities for the past six-and-a-half years as the head of the council of ministers.
'I sincerely believe that like Ceaser's wife, the prime minister should be above suspicion and it is for this reason that I am prepared to appear before the PAC even though there is no precedent to that effect,' Manmohan Singh said.
He said the PAC was looking into the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the 2G spectrum, which itself is a JPC presided over by a senior leader of BJP, Murli Manohar Joshi.
Rejecting the opposition demand for JPC into the 2G spectrum controversy, the prime minister said the government was of the considered view that in the backdrop of multi-faceted action now in place no purpose would be served by a JPC except to delay the inquiry and politicise the matter.
'The PAC has all the powers that can be given to JPC and the PAC is the acknowledged watchdog of any financial impropriety or misconduct. The PAC's report will be placed and debated in parliament. The government is obliged to take action on the recommendations of PAC,' he said.
The winter session of parliament was washed out over the opposition's demand for a JPC and the government's refusal to accept it.
Former communications minister A. Raja Monday sought time after the CBI summoned him and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and interrogated a top retired official over the 2G spectrum scam, even as AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha demanded Raja's arrest.
Coinciding with the Central Bureau of Investigation summons to Raja, the once leading light of the DMK rushed to a doctor for a health check-up but insisted he was not running away from the process of law.
A similar summons went to Radia, the lobbyist at the heart of a raging scandal involving allocation of second generation spectrum by Raja in 2008 at below market prices, causing huge losses to the government.
Simultaneously, CBI officials in New Delhi questioned former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) chief Pradeep Baijal, who was raided by the CBI last week along with Radia, Raja and others linked to the former minister in search of the scam-tainted money trail.
A CBI official said Raja, who was forced to resign from the cabinet last month, was expected to appear for questioning in Chennai Wednesday.
Raja was dismissive about the CBI move.
'It (questioning) is the usual procedure. I will comply with the needs,' Raja told IANS. He later said he was 'not afraid of the CBI'.
'I am a lawyer. As a lawyer, I will abide by the law. I will not evade the law,' a visibly agitated Raja, who has denied charges of wrongdoing, told reporters.
Raja said he had told the CBI that he can appear at their office only after two days as he was busy with personal work.
He added: 'I am not an accused and there is no question of my applying for anticipatory bail.'
In Tamil Nadu, where Raja and the spectrum scandal have become major issues ahead of next year's assembly elections, former chief minister J. Jayalalitha demanded the DMK leader's arrest.
At the other end, Chief Minister and DMK chief Karunanidhi tried to brush away the CBI's summons as a 'routine' matter but quickly added that action would be taken against Raja if he was found guilty.
He also batted for Raja saying the latter had only followed telecom policies which his predecessors had.
CBI sources said the notice to Raja was sent under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code which allows the agency to ask anybody to join the investigation and share information he or she may have.
Baijal, a 1966 batch civil servant who joined Radia's firm after retirement, was questioned for over three hours at the CBI headquarters.
The CBI gave no details.
As he stepped out, Baijal refused to speak to the media, saying he had told the CBI what he wanted to say.
The CBI summons and interrogation of Baijal came after it carried out coordinated raids a week ago in New Delhi, Noida and Tamil Nadu, with most people targeted being relatives or associates of Raja.
One such place was a Chennai-based NGO linked to DMK MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, who has been closely associated with Raja.
| Former communications minister A. Raja, Monday sought time after the CBI summoned him and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and interrogated a top retired official over the 2G spectrum scam, even as AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha demanded Raja's arrest. | |
| Coinciding with the Central Bureau of Investigation summons to Raja, the once leading light of the DMK rushed to a doctor for a health check-up but insisted he was not running away from the process of law.A similar summons went to Radia, the lobbyist at the heart of a raging scandal involving allocation of second generation spectrum by Raja in 2008 at below market prices, causing huge losses to the government. Simultaneously, CBI officials in New Delhi questioned former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chief Pradeep Baijal, who was raided by the CBI last week along with Radia, Raja and others linked to the former minister in search of the scam-tainted money trail. A CBI official said Raja, who was forced to resign from the cabinet last month, was expected to appear for questioning in Chennai Wednesday. Raja was dismissive about the CBI move. "It (questioning) is the usual procedure. I will comply with the needs," Raja told IANS. He later said he was "not afraid of the CBI". "I am a lawyer. As a lawyer, I will abide by the law. I will not evade the law," a visibly agitated Raja, who has denied charges of wrongdoing, told reporters. Raja said he had told the CBI that he can appear at their office only after two days as he was busy with personal work. He added: "I am not an accused and there is no question of my applying for anticipatory bail." In Tamil Nadu, where Raja and the spectrum scandal have become major issues ahead of next year's assembly elections, former chief minister J. Jayalalitha demanded the DMK leader's arrest. At the other end, Chief Minister and DMK chief Karunanidhi tried to brush away the CBI's summons as a "routine" matter but quickly added that action would be taken against Raja if he was found guilty. He also batted for Raja saying the latter had only followed telecom policies which his predecessors had. CBI sources said the notice to Raja was sent under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code which allows the agency to ask anybody to join the investigation and share information he or she may have. Baijal, a 1966 batch civil servant who joined Radia's firm after retirement, was questioned for over three hours at the CBI headquarters. The CBI gave no details. As he stepped out, Baijal refused to speak to the media, saying he had told the CBI what he wanted to say. The CBI summons and interrogation of Baijal came after it carried out coordinated raids a week ago in New Delhi, Noida and Tamil Nadu, with most people targeted being relatives or associates of Raja. One such place was a Chennai-based NGO linked to DMK MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, who has been closely associated with Raja. |
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/122224/raja-seeks-time-cbi-summons.html
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday slammed the BJP for rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's offer for appearing before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the 2G spectrum probe.After the humiliating defeat in Bihar and the political turmoil over corruption scandals, at least some in the Congress were breathing easy after the morale-boosting plenary that ended Monday.
Amid turmoil caused by 2G spectrum allocation scam , Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal will meet CEOs and promoters of leading telecom service providers in the next three days to discuss the issues plaguing the sector.
According to sources in the know, Sibal would be meeting Anil Ambani and Sunil Mittal separately tomorrow, followed by meetings with officials of Idea and Vodafone.
The meeting comes at a time when the sector is grappling with enormous uncertainties with regard to spectrum allocation policies and CBI probe into the decisions taken by Telecom Ministry between 2001 and 2008.
This means all incumbent operators including Bharti Airtel , Vodafone, Idea, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications would be part of the probe.
Despite all this, the sector has grown remarkably in the last few years, with telecom operators adding up to 20 million new mobile subscribers every month.
Sources also said that the Minister may raise concern over corporate rivalry and its negative impact on the sector.
The furore over former Union Minister A Raja's alleged attempt to influence the judiciary in a criminal case refused to die down with former Judge, Justice S Reghupathi again insisting on Saturday that he had named Raja in his letter to then Madras High Court Chief Justice H L Gokhale.
''It is always there in the order itself. You have seen that. It is there in the division bench order,'' Justice Reghupathi, who was approached by a lawyer taking the name of Raja for securing bail to an accused in a criminal case,told reporters.
He was apparently referring to the letter appended by a Division Bench of the Madras High Court in its recent order while suspending advocate R K Chandramohan as Chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Disposing of a petition by a lawyer,the Bench had appended a portion of a letter written by Reghupathi, who had reported that Chandramohan had entered his chamber last year and pleaded that the case of a father and a son, accused in a marks scandal case in Puducherry, for anticipatory bail be considered favourably as they were "family friends of a Union Minister by name Raja".
Reghupathi, in his letter dated July 7, 2009, had said that he had discouraged such conduct of Chandramohan and the case would be disposed of in accordance with law if it was listed before him.
Facing criticism on the controversy, former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan has insisted that the minister's name was not mentioned by Justice Gokhale in his report to him.
Sitting Supreme Court judge Gokhale had contradicted Balakrishna's claim last week that his letter did not name Raja.
To a question, Justice Reghupathi said he was never scared or confused and added that he had never sought any security from anyone.
Govt asks TTSL, RCom, others to stop launch of 3G services
The GenNext mobile services -- 3G -- which includes video calling facility may take sometime to hit market as government has asked leading telecom operators Tata Teleservices and RCom to stop it till they adhered to security norms for its legal interception.When contacted both operators maintained that the gag order was mainly with regard to video calls on mobile, but DoT sources asserted that it was for all those services where interception facility was not available.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) and central security agencies today convened a meeting of industry officials and asked them to stop roll out of 3G services till they demonstrate interception facility.
3G mobile services mainly include voice call, video calls and data services. In the data services, operators are claiming to offer high-speed internet service and required to offer monitoring facility.
The industry has, however, cried foul saying the two state owned telecom PSUs -- BSNL and MTNL -- have been offering 3G services since last two years and these issues were prevelent then also but they were never asked to stop.
"We are only asking for a level playing field with the telecom PSUs," a senior official of mobile industry lobby said.
In fact, last week the DoT had sent a letter to both TTSL and RCom asking them not to launch 3G services on commercial basis till they demonstrate lawful interception facilities.
The letter had pointed about the shortcomings in interception facilities of video calling on 3G services for the agencies need to be addressed before their launch.
According to an exhaustive note sent by the Union Home Ministry to the DoT, a demonstration was organised by Reliance, Tata Teleservices and Bharti during which the law enforcement agencies pointed out that online delivery of video call intercepts "in real time" could not be carried out by any of the telecom operators.
The contents of such calls were displayed only after five minutes of the completion of these calls as against the requirement of the agencies which want such details and interceptions on real-time basis, official sources said.
During the demonstration carried out by these telecom service providers, it came to light that long duration video calls, both incoming and outgoing, could not be intercepted, official sources said.
"Outgoing and incoming video calls after eight minutes could not be intercepted and displayed," they said.
2G scam: Tatas benefited by getting new licences without going through auction, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Continuing his war of words with Ratan Tata, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday alleged that contrary to claims of probity, the Tata group got spectrum allocated out of turn through change in policy to allow dual technology.
Responding to recent letter by Tata that he was acting at the behest of some political interests to embarrass Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the government and lobbied for a change in telecom policy that helped big GSM players, Chandrasekhar also questioned former telecom regulator Pradeep Baijal's role in benefiting Tatas.
In a veiled attack against Tatas' PR consultant Niira Radia , whose taped conversations with him prompted Ratan Tata to take a public position and recourse to legal remedies, the MP asked authorities to keep focus of investigation on scam to weed out the lobbyists from the telecom sector.
Ratan Tata had taken a strong exception to leakage and publication of the tape containing what he termed as private conversations and also talked about the erosion in governance.
Reacting to the position of probity and transparency taken by Tata, Chandrasekhar had alleged that the conglomerate itself was beneficiary of policy changes, provoking Ratan Tata to issue a strong rebuttal.
"I completely stand by every word that I have written in my letter... Tata had raised the issue of flip-flop of policy, I would like to ask how did the Tata companies get UASL licences in new circles without going through the auction process (in 2003)," Chandrasekhar said in a statement.
Tata in his open letter had asserted that his group company Tata Teleservices had not been advantaged in any way by former telecom minister A Raja or any earlier minister.
Tata had also asserted that the government's telecom policy broke the powerful cartel. He also backed the probe covering the period since 2001 when BJP-led NDA was in power.
In his statement today, Chandrasekhar also questioned former TRAI Chairman Pradeep Baijal's role as he was at helm of affairs when the telecom regulator recommended converting limited mobility into full mobility licences (called Unified Access Service Licence).
After his retirement from TRAI, Baijal had joined a firm which was offering consultancy to Tata companies, he said.
Spectrum Scam
The Opposition demands JPC probe on 2G spectrum issue, as CAG formally indicted communications minister A Raja for causing a loss of up to Rs 177,000 crore to the government by selling airwaves at a fraction of original 2G spectrum value. Will the government oblige?20 December 2010 Last updated at 21:49 GMT
Latest
2G scam: Telcos may be told to pay for extra spectrum
Following SC order widening probe, govt plans to ask telecos to pay for excess spectrum allotted during this period.
CBI conducts raids; swoops on DMK associates, Niira Radia & Pradip Baijal
The aftermath of the 2G spectrum allocation scam threatened to engulf DMK, a key alliance partner of the ruling UPA govt at the centre, with the CBI i...
Cong-DMK ties strained: M Karunanidhi convenes DMK executive meet on Saturday
The Congress-DMK ties on Wednesday appeared to be on a slippery slope after the CBI took its investigations into the 2G spectrum to an NGO patronised ...
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/fullcover.cms?keyword=Spectrum%20Scam
Rahul's aam aadmi has no social, economic face
Express news serviceTags : Congress plenary session, Rahul Gandhi,Aam Aadmi and Congress, youth and political systemPosted: Mon Dec 20 2010, 22:31 hrsNew Delhi:Freelance JobsChina WholesaleDiscount ShoppingCordless Headphone
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Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sought to redefined the concept of aam aadmi, disengaging it from any socio-economic profile and linking it with "opportunity". He also tried to establish a synchrony between his own efforts to attract the youth to the political system and his party's emphasis on aam aadmi, maintaining that connecting both with opportunity is a "political imperative".
"Aam aadmi in India is that person who does not have a connection to the system. Whether he is poor or rich, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christian, educated or uneducated, if he is not connected to the system, he is an aam aadmi," he said at the Congress plenary session on Sunday.
Elaborating further, Rahul gave the examples of a "tribal boy in Niyamgiri who is thrown out of his land without justice, the Dalit boy in Jhansi who is forced to sit at the back of the classroom; the young professional in Bangalore who cannot get her child into a good school; the university topper in Shillong who cannot get a job because he does not know the right people," etc.
"...he is the farmer in Aligarh who does not get the price he deserves for his land, he is the businessman in Hyderabad who is pushed aside because he does not have connections...he is the bureaucrat whose professional future is at risk because he refuses to compromise; he is the worker who builds the Metro with his blood and sweat but will never get the credit for it..."
... contd.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Rahul-s-aam-aadmi-has-no-social--economic-face/727170Your turn will not come at Centre for next decade: PC to BJP
PTI – Mon, Dec 20 3:12 PM ISTNew Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Home Minister P Chidambaram today had a dig at the BJP, which is in the forefront of the opposition campaign on the issue of JPC into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, telling it that "your turn will not come" to be in power at the Centre at least for a decade."For the next ten years, the Congress or a government led by it will remain in power in Delhi.
"I want to tell the BJP -- aapka number nahin aayega (your turn will not come) for the next decade or even after that," Chidambaram said while speaking at the party''s Plenary Session in support of the economic resolution.
He said the BJP has become "envious of the Congress" because of its "electibility and re-electibility" and its record of delivering growth.
Comparing BJP-led NDA government''s performance with that the UPA-I and UPA-II, he said the highest growth rate the former could achieve in its five-year rule was 6.4 per cent, while "the UPA-I government''s lowest GDP growth rate was 6.7 per cent" and that too in a year which saw the global economic meltdown.
While the average growth rate during the entire NDA rule was 5.8 per cent, "ours is a mirror image -- at 8.5 per cent during UPA-I", Chidambaram said, adding that UPA-II government''s first year experienced a 7.4 per cent rate and the second year is poised to achieve 9 per cent.
Taking on states ruled by non-Congress parties, he said the governments there could not give the excuse of not having funds to implement major central schemes.
The cash balance of states, as late as two days ago, stood at Rs 95,398 crore.
"If any state tells you that they don''t have money, I tell you, don''t believe that government," he said, adding that the central devolution to states would touch the Rs 3 lakh crore mark in the current financial year.
Chidambaram also urged the government to get the women''s reservation bill passed "before 2011 is out" and take steps to provide healthcare and education to all and make all habitations, whether inMinicoy island or in the Northeast, "livable" by providing them the basic amenities.
Maintaining that food security bill was in the advanced stage of consideration, he said the government in the coming days should also ensure implementation of measures for development or tribals and ensure social security, universal employment and the right to identity. (more) PTI ARC ACB NAB AMR SPG
Investors to watch Bengal polls: Yeo
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – Sun, Dec 19 4:34 PM IST
Kolkata, Dec 20 (IANS) The Foreign Minister of Singapore, George Yeo, Monday said many people would wait for next year's assembly elections in West Bengal before making any long-term assessment in terms of trade and investment with the state.Yeo said this when asked whether the conditions in West Bengal were favourable for trade and investment.
The state's ruling Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is slated to face most decisive elections next year after ruling uninterrupted since 1977.
'Our concern is not political. It is economical. We are not concerned whether it's a left-ruled or right-ruled or centre-ruled government. In the end, we only seek favourable conditions for trade and investment,' said Yeo on the sidelines here of a 'Session on South East Asia, ASEAN and India'.
Congress for accountability as BJP threatens 'mahasangram'
Beleaguered under corruption charges yet ready for a fight to protect its failing reputation, senior leaders of the Congress – President Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister P Chidambaram – today called for greater accountability in the functioning of the government as well as within the party.
Meanwhile, the BJP continues to turn the screw on 2G and will now bring out a nation-wide rally on Wednesday to protest the scams under the UPA regime.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, who prepares a monthly report of the activities of his ministry, suggested that other ministries should also be accountable to the Prime Minister and the government should give six-monthly progress reports to the Congress.
"The Prime Minister should call each and every ministry and department and seek a report from them every three months about what it has done during this period."
"And every six months, the Congress President should summon the government and ask what it has done," Chidambaram said in his address at the Congress Plenary here.
In her concluding remarks, Congress President Sonia Gandhi too recommended more accountability of the party's state and district level committees to report back to the All India Congress Committee on a regular basis regarding their activities, programmes and campaigns.
Asserting that Congress will take corruption head on, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today hailed as inspiring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurance that he will take forward her five-point action plan to battle the menace.
"We will take corruption head on and demonstrate it through our actions and not through words alone. I had made specific suggestions in this regard (in the speech yesterday) and the Prime Minister, in his inspiring address this morning, assured us that he will take them forward, she said in her remarks winding up the two-day Congress plenary here.
Gandhi said it was the duty of Congress workers to counter all accusations levelled by the Opposition, particularly the BJP, calling them as "blatantly baseless and completely unfounded".
"It is absolutely essential that we confront our political opponents aggressively," she said, adding the Congress-led UPA government has accomplished a "great deal" in the last six and a half years and "we have every reason to be proud of our record".
"This is a record that stands out distinctively when compared to what the NDA did during its time. Nothing can detract from our solid accomplishments. It is our duty to propagate them among the people," the Congress President said in the presence of the Prime Minister.
She asked the party activists to launch nationwide 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' to "expose the BJP for its double-speak on the issue of corruption. There should be at least one public meeting in every assembly constituency".
Observing that several central flagship programmes had been co-opted by non-Congress governments ruling in different states under different names, Gandhi said these state governments were "taking credit from our programmes", which had been promised in "our manifesto".
Directing party workers to expose this, she asked PCC chiefs to appoint monitoring committees to get systematic feedback on their implementation and submit assessment report every quarter to the AICC.
Meanwhile, alleging that the Congress-led UPA government has made "right to corruption" a fundamental right for its ministers, BJP today said it will launch a nation-wide campaign with a huge rally here on Wednesday against scams in the UPA regime.
The NDA will hold 'Mahasangram' rallies in major states including Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Haryana to "expose" the "widespread corruption" in the UPA government, BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters here.
"If there is any major achievement of the UPA in 2010, then it has to be making corruption a right by the government like any other rights such as right to information and right to work," Naqvi said.
"The government and the Prime Minister have given this right to ministers and Congress leaders. Now efforts are on to protect those involved in the scams," he alleged.
Resolving to take the fight against UPA to the grassroot level, Naqvi said JD-U chief Sharad Yadav, Akali Dal leader Prakash Singh Badal and senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley are among those who will participate in Wednesday's rally at Ramlila ground.
Referring to Congress leaders at its three-day plenary targeting the main opposition, Naqvi said it will be difficult for the ruling party to stop the downslide even if it resorts to "BJP bashing".
"From head to toe, this government is involved in corruption. We are determined to take the fight against corruption to the grassroot level. The fact that 75 per cent of the total speeches delivered at the plenary revolved around BJP shows our growing strength and their frustration," he said.
Naqvi also released a booklet listing major scams of the year including alleged irregularities in 2G spectrum allocation, bunglings in Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Society scam.
BJP National Secretary Kirit Somaiya, who prepared the booklet, said similar booklets will be prepared at state level against Congress-ruled governments in various states.
Delhi BJP chief Vijendra Gupta said the city party unit has already held over 300 meetings across Delhi seeking peoples' cooperation for the mega rally.
Celebs at the Kingfisher Calendar launch 2011
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Glitz and glam were all over the place at the launch of the Kingfisher Calendar 2011. The event was all the more special because the launch was teamed with Vijay Mallya's birthday party.
KF Calendar 2011 launch
Photographer Atul Kasbekar poses with actress Jacqueline Fernandez. The calendar features six top swimsuit models and was shot by Kasbekar at Le-touessork in Mauritius.
"Well, the 2011 edition was shot in Mauritius. When we started the calendar in 2003, we shot in Mauritius, so it was a bit of a homecoming for us, which was nice. We shot in totally different parts of the country and the tourism authority has given us access to some unbelievable locations including the Casela Nature Park, where we shot with wild animals like cheetahs, lions and zebras," said Kasbekar.
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By R Shankar, India Syndicate, 20/12/2010
PM, what about Caesar's silence?
On the second day of the Congress party's plenary session in Delhi on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated a fact that we all knew: that he had nothing to hide. And then he went on to add: "Like Caesar's wife, I should be above suspicion".
The expression is attributed to an incident in Julius Caesar's life. His wife Pompeia Sulla held a festival called Bona Dea in 62 BC -- a festival that paid tribute to `good goddess'. In this festival, held in Pompeia's house, only women were permitted. But Publius Clodius Pulcher, a naughty, young and ambitious patrician, sneaked in dressed as a woman with an intent to seduce the beautiful wife of Caesar. He was caught, well, pants down, and prosecuted. But during the trial, Caesar never acted or gave evidence against Clodius. The patrician was thus acquitted. But days later, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying "my wife ought not even to be under suspicion." This gave birth to the expression "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion."
Forget Caesar's wife; should the Prime Minister, like Caesar, remain silent when people like A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi run away with aam aadmi's money?
Prime Minister's honesty and integrity have never been on the debating table or questioned. On these grounds he has been well above the watermarks of doubt; but his silence has not been so.
Here are some occasions when Manmohan Singh could have acted in time, but never did:
2G Spectrum scam
It took over a year for the Prime Minister to act; it took over a year for the CBI to wake up. Had it not been for the PIL in the Supreme Court, the scam would have dragged on and on. Why did Singh not act when the then Telecom minister A Raja refused to listen? Why did the PM not act when Raja ignored Cabinet colleagues and asked them to keep off the Spectrum turf?
Why did the government not bring out the facts when the issue was debated in the Rajya Sabha over a year ago? Why did the PM act only after the Supreme Court comments on the tardy progress and questioned the CBI on its monumental silence?
If the PM would have acted on time and brought Raja to the book, his stature would have been much higher.
The PM and the CBI meekly closed the stables only after Raja and all the horses had bolted.
Another point: If the PM had nothing to hide, why not agree for a JPC probe?
Niira Radia Tapes
How come the Prime Minister was not aware of the fact that private conversations were being secretly taped? Such acts are allowed only for national security. Even if they were taped, who leaked it to the media and why? The conversations were taped by a government agency and the tapes were in the possession of this agency. How come the tapes were leaked and what was the motive?
The PM was visibly upset while addressing the captains of the industry this month. But that shows that he was not under control of things. Even now, he is not able to pin-point who leaked the tapes to the media and why.
CWG scam
For four long months, all the dirt on Commonwealth Games was out in the open. The stink too was there for everyone to 'smell' and squirm. But for the best part, the PM adopted the three wise monkey strategy with a twist in the tale: see-no-scam, hear-no-scam, tell-no-scam. Why did the PM not step in early and stem the rot? He appointed an overseeing committee only after the mess had spun out of control.
Even now, Suresh Kalmadi is yet to be questioned by the CBI even as he plans to bid for the Olympics.
Appointment of the CVC
The Central Vigilance Commissioner is appointed by taking into confidence the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Three persons were shortlisted for the CVC post but the government ignored the dissenting note of Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and appointed P J Thomas as the CVC. This despite the fact that he is still an accused in the palm oil import scam in Kerala.
Sushma Swaraj had openly said that the Government was free to choose any one among the two other officers on the list of three, not Thomas. But the PM paid a deaf ear and went ahead.
The government knew all along that Thomas, as the CVC, will not be in a position to investigate the 2G spectrum allotment scandal in which his own ministry was involved. An official with such a shadow of doubt should not have been made the CVC.
Now, the matter is before the Supreme Court which has questioned the manner in which Thomas got the job. Why was the PM so keen on Thomas who was under a cloud of controversy? He could have picked up the next good officer on the list.
Well, like Caesar's wife, the PM should be above suspicion.
Source: India Syndicate
20/12/2010
No one will be spared: Manmohan
New Delhi: On the second day of the Congress' plenary session – a meet that has become the occasion for earnest soul-searching as well as an attempt to exorcise the demon of corruption plaguing the party -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took the lead in his speech on Monday and said he is ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee on the 2G spectrum scam, stating emphatically that he "has nothing to hide".
PM Manmohan Singh receives a garland during 83rd plenary session of Congress in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister was addressing the Congress plenary in Burari on Monday. While he exhorted partymen and office-bearers on the need to show integrity and to be honest, Singh also dared the Opposition by categorically rejecting its demand for a joint parliamentary probe (JPC) in the spectrum allocation.
He said: "All aspects of the 2G spectrum allocation are being probed. No purpose will be served by a JPC as a multi-agency probe is underway into the spectrum allocation."
He added: "I am ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament on this issue although there is no such precedent. I have nothing to hide."
He said the PAC has all powers which can be given to the JPC. He said the BJP has "falsely propagated" the government does not want a JPC because it does not want the Prime Minister to appear before it.
"I believe like Caesar's wife, the PM should be above suspicion," he said.
Singh firmly said no "guilty person will be spared in the 2G spectrum and CWG scams" irrespective of which party he belongs to.
He also said the government will pay careful attention to the four-point agenda to fight corruption set out by Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress, embattled in a fight against allegations of financial irregularities by its ministers and senior leaders, needed both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to come out with statements that would emphasise its intent to fight corruption.
A united Opposition has already ruined an entire session of Parliament on its demand for a JPC probe into 2G. The Opposition has also demanded the Prime Minister appear before the JPC and explain what went wrong in the spectrum allocation.
On Sunday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had unveiled a four-point action plan to intensify the "battle against corruption", advocating a new system of fast-tracking all cases of corruption involving public servants, "full transparency" in public procurement and contracts, "open and competitive system" of exploiting natural resources, and asking all party chief ministers and ministers at both the Centre and states to set an example by reviewing and relinquishing all discretionary powers, particularly in land allocation.
Source: The Indian Express
By Manali Rohinesh, India Syndicate, 20/12/2010
Ratan Tata: Stepping out of his comfort zone
Ratan Tata is stepping uncharacteristically out of his normal mode of conduct. The man who has never really ruffled feathers in the past, beyond the usual run-ins that occur when conducting business, is now seen in a very public spat with MP Rajeev Chandrashekar who earlier headed BPL Mobile, now called Loop Telecom. It is the nature of the insinuations made by the latter, that has ruffled his usual poise, and given the media – in India and abroad – something to get distracted over apart from Wikileaks and Julian Assange.
At age 72, this silver haired poster boy for senior citizens, has managed to steer his 90 plus companies' Tata Group through the shoals of 21st century India. True, the Tata Group has yet to start any Facebook-like social media network which is the space, where the most noise seems to be happening, and where the millionaires are decidedly on the other end of the age spectrum. But, there is still the 1 lakh Nano that he 'promised' to India and he made good on that promise.
Though the car has had teething trouble - with some of them bursting into flames - Tata Motors has recalled them and is now offering a four year warranty to buyers. It is for this kind of customer service that the company has become synonymous with, which has made it $67.4 billion revenues in 2009-10.
He not only runs a diverse empire that encompasses cars, trucks, software development, steel, chemicals to hotels and tea among others, but he also serves on the board of directors of Fiat SpA and Alcoa. He is also on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls Royce, Temasek Holdings and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
His achievements have earned him India's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities abroad and in India. All this was done by a man who really wanted to design and therefore enrolled into Cornell to study architecture. He received a BS degree in architecture in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India, later that year. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.
Educational qualifications apart, what makes this loner who is a stickler for privacy tick? He's publicly known to be a lover of cars and dogs. His Alsatians travel in style in his chauffeur driven Mercedes, even when he's not in the car with them. He has also got a large collection of books. Then there is that passion for flying, which is possibly in his blood, because his uncle JRD Tata was an accomplished pilot as well. For a person, with such a well rounded personality, considerable charm and pedigree, he definitely should be on India's list of the 'most eligible bachelors'! After all, Rupert Murdoch married for the third time in his 80s.
Then there is the fact that JRD Tata groomed Ratan Tata, as if he were his own son, speaks volumes of the cultural difference that pervades the House of Tata, as opposed to say the Ambani family. In the Ambani brothers case, there was actual bad blood between blood brothers. Anyone in the know about Ratan Tata's lineage will know that his father was an adopted child and therefore, the Tata bloodline actually ended with JRD Tata. This is not accounting for any distant Tata relatives and cousins. Which is why, JRD Tata's mentoring of the young architect from Cornell, when he could have done otherwise, is a leadership lesson worth emulating.
Ratan Tata seems to be on a hunt of his own, as he's looking to find a successor to take over from him. Hints and columns written, based on those hints abound. But everyone assumes that, since the only Tata left to take over the reins is his stepbrother, Noel Tata, Ratan Tata wants to let him come in and run the show.
While Ratan, finally, emerged like a jewel from under JRD Tata's spotlight to head his family inheritance, Noel feels like an afterthought, to shoulder this huge responsibility. The simple reason being he has big shoes to fit in to, and he has yet to even step out of his mother - Simone Tata's shadow. Besides, the man does not have Ratan Tata's charisma and nothing is known about his leadership abilities.
So is Noel Tata big enough and the best person to step up to big brother Ratan Tata's chair, is a million dollar question, and for which there has been no clear answer so far. Though, as of now, both brothers continue to keep people guessing, over who is to be or not to be, the head of the Tata Group, after Ratan Tata.
Source: India Syndicate
Raja seeks time to appear before CBIHindustan Times - 15 minutes agoSummoned by the CBI for questioning over the 2G spectrum allocation scam, former communications minister A Raja on Monday said he has told the probe agency ... CBI notice to Raja a routine process: DMKIBNLive.com - 37 minutes agoNew Delhi: Former telecom minister A Raja was on Monday summoned by the CBI for questioning, in the 2G spectrum scam. With the CBI zeroing in on Raja there ... 2G spectrum scam probe: CBI summons A Raja, Radia for questioningDaily News & Analysis - 52 minutes agoPlace: New Delhi, Chennai | Agency: PTI Tightening the noose in the second generation mobile telephony spectrum scam probe, CBI today summoned ex-telecom ...
Raja seeks time after CBI summons him, Radia in 2G probeSify - 1 hour agoChennai/New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Former communications minister A. Raja Monday sought time after the CBI summoned him and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and ... DMK did not demand telecom portfolio, says KarunanidhiHindustan Times - 1 hour agoDMK supremo and Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi on Monday refuted the charge that his party had demanded the communications portfolio for Andimuthu ... Promises to keepTimes of India - Raghu Krishnan - 2 hours agoIt isn't only gardeners and other members of hoi polloi who may want to turn over a new leaf. Politicians may have the inclination but not the time. ... Arrest Raja, says JayalalithaaHindustan Times - 3 hours agoAIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Monday demanded the arrest of former communications minister A Raja over the irregularities in the spectrum... DMK did not recommend anyone for Telecom portfolio: KarunanidhiThe Hindu - 4 hours agoPTI The Hindu Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday said his party was not adamant in getting the Telecom portfolio to A. Raja during UPA... I am not afraid of CBI - A RajaNewsX - 5 hours ago"I am not afraid of CBI. I am a lawyer. As a lawyer, I will abide by the law. I will not evade the law," Former Telecom Minister A Raja told reporters. CBI sends notice to A RajaMoneycontrol.com - 5 hours agoIn the winter session of the Parliament, the Prime Minister took the battle to the opposition camp, saying that he would be "happy" to appear before the ... All 61 related articles » | RelatedA Raja2G spectrum Chennai Central Bureau of Investigation Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Tamil Nadu Timeline of articles Number of sources covering this story
ImagesThe Hindu The Hindu The Hindu Oneindia Hindu Business ... The Hindu Oneindia All India Radio SamayLive All related images »Videos I am not afraid of CBI - A Raja NewsX - 5 hours ago  CBI sends notice to Raja for questioning NewsX - 9 hours ago All related videos » |
Corrupt Raja Now At Centre Of Tamil Nadu Land Grab
CHENNAI – Former telecom minister A Raja, already facing the 2G-spectrum storm, is now at the centre of an emerging land scam in his constituency Peremabulur in Tamil Nadu. He has been accused of helping his family and friends grab land a very low prices. About 250 farmers have alleged that Green House Promoters, in which his wife and brother were directors till recently, had coerced and tricked them into selling their land at prices varying between 3% and 16% of market rates.
Green House managing director Sadiq Batcha, Raja's close business associate, was questioned by the Central Bureau Investigation in the 2G spectrum scam, as he was suspected of laundering part of the money received as bribes in the Rs 1.76 lakh crore 2G scam.Raja has been accused of using the district administration to put pressure on the farmers. N Chelladurai of the CPI (M)-backed Tamil Nadu Vyava-sayigal Sangham cited the example of Senthil (32), a farmer who owned 3.5 acre.
Senthil was arrested and remanded in judicial custody in a false case and the police repeatedly offered to quash the case if he agreed to sell his land. Finally, he had to give in.
But district collector N Vijaykumar told Hindustan Times that the government could not interfere in dealings between two private parties. "If, indeed, force or coercion has been used, I would strongly advise them (the farmers) to file a criminal complaint."
In 2007, the state government acquired 26 acres for private sector tyre manufacturer MRF's plant in the district, about 280km from here.
The company later bought about 439 acres from farm-ers, using brokers and sub-brokers.
Green House signed a memorandum of understanding with MRF for acquiring 430 acres, but acquired about 200 acres more for itself at Rs 60,000 to Rs 3 lakh an acre two years ago, when the prevailing prices were about Rs 18 lakh an acre.
The company allegedly misled the sellers into believing that they would also be covered by MRF's promise of one job for each family that sold land to the company.
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18 DEC, 2010, 06.04AM IST, RAJEEV DESHPANDE & SUROJIT GUPTA,TNN
2G scam: Telcos may be told to pay for extra spectrum
NEW DELHI: Following the Supreme Court order widening the spectrum probe to include telecom policy from 2001, the government plans to ask telecom firms to pay for excess spectrum allotted to them during this period.The probe will cover at least two instances of excess spectrum being allocated in 2006 and 2008-09.
The government's action would be in keeping with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report which said nine operators were allotted spectrum beyond the upper limit laid down in the Unified Access Service Licence agreement, costing Rs 37,000 crore in revenue.
"Whenever excess spectrum was allocated, no one paid for it," said a telecom ministry source.
The government has been considering action on the issue of allocation of excess spectrum since DMK's A Raja resigned as IT and communications minister in mid-November and its intent seems to have firmed up.
The action would be in keeping with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which said nine operators were allotted spectrum beyond the upper limit laid down in the Unified Access Service Licence agreement.
"Thus while DoT, on one hand, was not processing pending applications for licence due to non-availability of spectrum, on the other hand it was allotting spectrum to existing operators beyond the contracted limit without any upfront charges being imposed or without determination of market price of spectrum," the CAG report said.
The nine firms named in the CAG report are Aircel , Bharti , BPL ( Mumbai), BSNL , Idea , MTNL , Reliance , Spice (Punjab) and Vodafone. The CAG report said excess spectrum had cost the government Rs 37,000 crore in revenue.
While some aspects of the debate are embroiled in the corporate war between "old" and "new" telecom operators, government-run firms were also found to be beneficiaries of excess spectrum.
Although a formula for levying charges on telecoms firms is yet to be worked out, if they are linked to the 3G spectrum prices, as is likely, the impact could be significant.
The criticism that spectrum was sold cheap at 2001 rates in the 2G allocations of 2008 has hurt the government and it is wary of appearing vulnerable on this count.
The view in the government seems to be that even spectrum allocations before 2008 can be assessed and charges levied. Telecom minister Kapil Sibal is expected to offer an assessment of the telecom policy and announce his ministry's plans on excess spectrum and other issues shortly.
The DoT has in the past considered asking telecom firms to pay for spectrum in excess of 6.2Mhz with some firms holding airwaves up to 10Mhz in cities. Trai, in a report some months ago, recommended that telecom operators be asked to pay up.
18 DEC, 2010, 04.33AM IST,ET BUREAU
Tata Teleservices hits back, asserts it never got any benefit
NEW DELHI: The second round of verbal confrontations between Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the Tata Group over telecom policy flip-flops, continued on Friday, with Tata Teleservices reiterating it did not receive any benefits, concessions or licencesout-of-turn , illegally or at rates lower than what others had paid.Responding to Chandrasekhar's fresh salvo, Tata Tele in a statement said the Rajya Sabha MP's allegations that former telecoms regulatory head Pradeep Baijal had extended huge benefits to the mobile phone company was a 'cheap gimmick'. Tatas said they will not respond to any further statements from Chandrasekhar and added the debate created by the Rajya Sabha MP was futile.
Chandrasekhar had questioned how Tata Tele got licenses (with spectrum ) in new circles without going through the auction process and said the role of Pradeep Baijal, who subsequently upon retirement consults for the Tata Group, must be probed.
The Central Bureau of Investigations raided Baijal's residence earlier this week related to its probe into the 2G scam. Former telecoms minister A Raja in his affidavit in the Supreme Court said Baijal acted out of turn to allow Tata Teles get nine extra mobile licences in 2004.
"Tata Teleservices got its UASL in line with the then policy of the government of India for all operators, namely after paying a fee equivalent to that paid by the fourth cellular licensee. In fact, 48 new GSM licences were issued between 2004 and 2008 (which included Bharti [6], Vodafone [9], Idea [11], Reliance [1] and Aircel [21]), apart from a further 113 licences in 2008 on the same norms — of fees equivalent to that paid by the fourth cellular licence," the company said.
The mobile phone firm also said that the real beneficiaries of the Department of Telecom's inconsistent and arbitrary policies were incumbent GSM operators that were issued 48 GSM licenses and allocated 65 MHz of additional spectrum free of charge, beyond the contracted spectrum, between 2004 and 2008.
Tata Tele said that Baijal's role as head of Trai was to make recommendations and the telecoms ministry was the final decision maker. "Mr Baijal's recommendation in favour of UASL was a generic recommendation in favour of a technology agnostic telecom policy and not something specific to Tata Teleservices," the company's response said.
Trai uner Baijal recommended that all fixed line operators be allowed to migrate to a 'Unified Access Services License' on payment of a fee, a move that allowed Reliance and Tatas, amongst others, to offer full-fledged mobile services and also legalised their ventures. This was one of the most controversial policy changes in the sector.
On Thursday Chandrasekhar challenged Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata to an open debate on policy flip flops in telecoms and reiterated that Tata Tele was one of the biggest beneficiaries of murky telecoms policy.
The war of words began last week when Chandrasekhar in an open letter claimed that the Tata Group chairman's allegations of spectrum hoarding were applicable to Tata Teleservices too. Ratan Tata delivered a robust riposte two days later saying 'flip-flops' in telecom occurred during the NDA regime, and added that neither Raja nor any other minister had extended any advantage to Tata Tele.
Chandrasekhar said the rationale of dual-technology policy, allowing mobile phone companies to offer both GSM and CDMA-based mobile services, was only to ensure that companies like Tatas received 2G spectrum in 2008 at 2001 prices, over 373 applications which were already waiting in the queue.
Tata Tele clarified that dual-technology policy was announced by the telecoms department based on Trai's recommendations and added the telecoms tribunal as the Delhi High Court had upheld this policy.
DMK did not recommend anyone for Telecom portfolio
CHENNAI: With DMK facing increasing heat on the 2G spectrum scam, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said his party was not adamant in getting the Telecom portfolio to A Raja during UPA government formation in 2009.
DMK had not recommended anyone to get any particular post, Karunanidhi said amid the storm over the Niira Radia tapes about hectic lobbying for Telecom portfolio for Raja before government formation in 2009.
Since Raja was Telecom Minister when UPA was power in 2007, the same portfolio was allocated to him in 2009, he said in the party mouthpiece, 'Murasoli', here.
Refuting reports that Raja was made Telecom Minister following telephonic conversations between "two persons", he said certain media had blown up the matter, which was "baseless."
On 2G spectrum issue, Karunanidhi charged certain sections of the media instead of reporting what CAG had said were writing 'wrongly' about the whole issue.
He also claimed Raja had adopted the same policy of the BJP-led NDA government in allocation of spectrum
2010: A year of tiffs, truces and tantalising corporate tales
An eclectic mix of Radias, Ambanis and Akulas hogged the headlines this year, with many an unfolding plot promising eventful corporate tales in 2011.
Whether it is the fallout of Niira Radia's lobbying prowess, or billionaires Mukesh and Anil Ambani calling a truce, or Vikram Akula pushing microfinance into the limelight, every happening blazed new trails for corporate India.
Not just them, many other well-known names, including industrialist Ratan Tata, telecom czar Sunil Mittal, IT stalwarts Narayana Murthy and Azim Premji, regulators D Subbarao and CB Bhave and Citigroup head honcho Vikram Pandit, grabbed attention for diverse reasons.
A set of leaked phone conversations of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia sparked an acerbic chain of events, that not only claimed A Raja's telecom ministership, but also paralysed Parliament for 23 straight days. The leaks, coupled with the CAG's critical report on 2G spectrum allocation, is now haunting many well-known and little-known people and organisations.
Bringing an end to their bitter and prolonged corporate battle, the Ambani brothers in May this year agreed to end their dispute and scrap all existing non-compete agreements executed in January, 2006, when the Reliance empire was split between them.
The joy of a bombastic nearly $350 million initial public offering was short-lived for SKS Microfinance and its founder, Vikram Akula. After the corporate governance issue, when its CEO Suresh Gurmani was suddenly sacked in October, high interest rates and Andhra Pradesh government's move to regulate microfinance sector added to the woes of Akula.
From the Tata Group's plans to find a successor for him to being dragged into the raging 2G spectrum allocation controversy, Ratan Tata has been constantly in the news this year as well.
Narayana Murthy also came into limelight after Infosys kicked off the succession plan process for the software exporter's chief mentor.
Telecom czar Sunil Mittal finally realised his dream of making a much-fancied African foray after failing in previous attempts to strike a deal with South African major MTN. Bharti Airtel snapped up the Africa operations of Kuwait-based Zain in a $10.7 billion deal this year, expanding the firm's presence in fast growing markets.
Continuing his philanthropic activities, Azim Premji transferred Wipro shares worth about $2 billion to fund various education programmes.
Furthermore, regulatory tussles and concerns about autonomy saw the country's two high-profile regulatory chiefs -- Reserve Bank of India Governor Subbarao and market regulator SEBI chief Bhave -- cornering headlines.
20 DEC, 2010, 08.49AM IST, NAMRATA SINGH,TNN
Global companies may buy more Indian FMCG firms in '11
MUMBAI: As a crop of homegrown FMCG companies went shopping abroad for acquisitions in 2010, multinational firms warmed up to domestic buys. While globalization as a theme for Indian FMCG players would continue in 2011, another factor that will mark the year ahead is global consumer product groups eyeing inorganic growth opportunities in emerging markets like India.
When groups like Godrej, Marico and Dabur were busy sealing deals in markets like Africa, South America and Indonesia, it was British consumer product group, Reckitt Benckiser, which walked away with the prized catch, Paras Pharma.
With India becoming the largest and most lucrative consumer destinations in the world, the economic and consumption power shift is veering towards India. A clear indicator is the high valuation commanded by Paras (Rs 3,260 crore).
"In view of the slowdown in developed markets, it is imperative for global players to focus on growths in emerging markets and increased investment dosage in these markets," said Saugata Gupta , CEO (consumer products ), Marico.
And why not? The Indian FMCG sector is the fourthlargest sector in the economy with a total market size in excess of $13.1 billion (Rs 58,950 crore).
Indian FMCG companies , too, went for the kill to satiate their inorganic growth appetite with global buys. While Dabur India opened its account with two overseas acquisition—Hobi Kozmetik group of Turkey and the US-based Namasti Laboratories—during the year, Godrej acquired Issue and Argencos in Latin America , Tura in Africa and Megasari in Indonesia.
"We will see many more Indian companies spreading their wings abroad seeking faster growth. But the key to success would be to tailormake products and solutions for the local audience and consumers in the overseas markets," said Sunil Duggal, CEO, Dabur India.
On the global landscape too, iconic chocolate company Cadbury was gobbled up by Kraft Foods , leading to consolidation in operations of the two companies in other markets as well.
Peeping into 2011, Tanya Godrej, executive director & president (marketing), Godrej Industries , said that innovative brands from emerging markets in particular will shine in 2011. "India will increasingly look beyond its borders, especially to smaller, highgrowth economies in Africa, rest of Asia and Latin America for accelerated growth.
I expect a lot more inorganic growth coming from acquisitions in these geographies. Addressing the needs and desires of billions of overlooked consumers and tapping the vast pool of talent and skills is the global opportunity in 2011," Godrej said. According to Gupta, Africa and certain parts of Asia, like Indonesia and Vietnam, would be the next theatres of action.
While acquisitions were the dominant feature for the FMCG industry during 2010, organic growth through a mix of pricing and volume drove categories like soaps, detergents, shampoos, skincare products, among others. Organic growth cannot be overlooked given high GDP growth, increased rural growths, accelerating urbanization and evolving consumer lifestyles.
The food inflation did threaten to play spoilsport, but a surge in rural demand more than made up for loss from urban markets, which had softened a bit. "The year 2011 is likely to be a very positive year for the FMCG industry as a whole. Despite rising commodity prices, which will continue to put pressure on performance, I expect demand to continue to be robust especially from rural India which is seeing rising income levels and greater propensity to spend," said Godrej.
Gupta of Marico expects some inflationary pressure in the first half of the new year. What could possibly buttress this growth is the smooth implementation of the much-delayed Goods and Services Tax (GST) — something the industry is looking forward to.
Looking to expand in China: TatasBEIJING: With Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promising to remove trade barriers to Indian goods, the Tata Group today said it is looking to expand its businesses in Asia's largest economy, which accounted for about 6 per cent of its overall turnover in the previous fiscal.
"Last year, the Tata Group's turnover in China touched USD 4 billion, amounting to about 6 per cent of its overall business," said B Muthuraman, the Chairman of Tata International and vice-chairman of Tata Steel , two major subsidiaries of the Tata Group, according to the official state English language newspaper, China Daily.
Fifty per cent of Tata's turnover in China was derived from its auto businesses, led by sales of luxury cars like Jaguar and Land Rover after the acquisition of the brands from British car-maker Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008, he said.
The group is now poised to expand its other businesses in China, he said, adding that it has already ventured into areas like steel, consulting, IT outsourcing and hotels.
What is more, TCS has emerged as the largest Indian software business company servicing Chinese state-run groups.
Besides the Tatas, a number of other Indian companies based in China are looking to ramp up their business, as the countries have set a USD 100 billion target for bilateral trade by 2015, compared to record trade worth USD 60 billion registered this year.
Wen, who concluded a three-day visit to India today, has promised to address the trade imbalance by providing more market access to Indian companies, especially those in the IT, pharma and agro-products space.
Muthuraman hoped that China would be more receptive to companies like Tata becoming involved in China's economy in the context of Jiabao's visit. He noted that Tata set up a joint venture with Zhejiang Tea Import & Export Co Ltd in 2007 to manufacture and market green tea in the country.
He said he believes his company needs to accelerate the pace of development to keep pace with China, as global economic power shifts from the West to the East.
"India and China represent the future. We will become two of world's three top economies over the next 20 years. So there is a need for India and China to understand each other on the business front," he said
Growing Indian mkt size inviting break-ups between cos!
The recent splitsville saga of India's Hero Group and Japan's Honda is suggestive of enough potential for both domestic and international players to survive separately in the impressively growing Indian market, says a report.
"India's market size has grown sufficiently large where it can accommodate both the players separately, ensuring their co-existence.
This has triggered the partners calling-off their joint ventures and operate the businesses on their own," a report by SMC Global Securities Limited said.
It may be the end of story for Munjal Family's Hero group and Japan's Honda which parted ways last week, but the "Its Over Now" story is no new for the industry which has seen many break-ups between the Indian partners and their international peers, the report added.
Over a period of time, several joint ventures were formed between Indian companies and the international companies across the industries.
In the industry space, there have been splits too. To name a few, JM Financial & Morgan Stanley , Kotak & Goldman Sachs parted ways.
However, it is true that the break-up always brings new challenges as it will now be a testing time for both Hero and Honda.
While the Hero group's R&D capabilities will be on test, similarly the Honda group's Indian distribution capabilities will be looked at, it noted.
The automobile industry has seen a series of joint ventures such as Maruti Suzuki , Hero Honda, Bajaj Kawasaki , TVS Suzuki , Kinetic Honda , Honda Siel among others, it said.
These joint ventures have proved to be perfect collision between the diverse skills of the Indian partners and the international party, wherein the Indian company infused the local knowledge and the international firm brought in global exposure of R&D (Research & Development) skills, the report added.
However, the time has come in the Indian economy where the Indian partners and the international partners have started to believe that the market size has reached a level where both the partners can play independently, it said.
20 DEC, 2010, 10.00PM IST, PRIYA KAPOOR,ET BUREAU
EPF can make you a crorepati
Don't you hate it when you look at your salary slip and find that sundry deductions have pared it down. But believe us, you should actually feel happy about one of these deductions-the monthly contribution to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF). The 12% of your basic salary that flows into the EPF every month has the potential to make you a crorepati when you retire.Sounds unbelievable? After all, the investment seems too small and the interest rate offered doesn't seem too high. But don't forget that a matching contribution comes from your employer every month. Don't also underestimate the power of compounding and what it can do to your retirement savings over the long term. As the graphic above shows, the 8.5% interest earned on the EPF can help a person with a basic salary of Rs 25,000 a month accumulate a gargantuan Rs 1.65 crore in 35 years.
The Direct Taxes Code had initially proposed that new contributions to the EPF be taxed on withdrawal. However, the revised draft has once again made EPF fully exempt. This makes it the best debt option available in the market.
In fact, the EPF can single-handedly account for the debt portion of your financial portfolio. You need not invest in tax inefficient fixed deposits or worry about which debt fund to invest in. All you need to ensure is that you don't ever withdraw from your EPF account till you hang up your boots. If at any stage you find that your debt portion is lagging, you can add more through a voluntary increases in your contribution.
However, few people are able to reach even the Rs 1 crore milestone in their careers. EPF rules allow encashment of the accumulated corpus when a person quits a job and it's not uncommon for people to withdraw their PF at that stage.
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This is despite the fact that the government discourages you from withdrawing the money. The withdrawals from the EPF within five years of joining are taxable. The tax will be minimal if the person is jobless and has no significant income from other sources but he won't completely escape the tax net. "When you withdraw you do not let the power of compounding to come into play," cautions Suresh Sadagopan, a Mumbai-based financial planner.
Transfer, don't withdraw: Instead of withdrawing money from the EPF on switching jobs, one should transfer the balance to the new account with the new employer. This does not happen automatically. You need to fill a 'Form 13' and deposit it with the EPFO. Financial advisers recommend that you put this down among the list of priorities at the new workplace. "You should take up the matter with new organization as soon as you join. With passage of time you might get busy. Also, if your previous organization has lost the records, you could face a hard time looking for your PF details," adds Sadogapan.
In the form you are required to fill in details of your previous organisation including the previous EPF number and the regional provident fund office. The account number is basically a combination of your employee code, the PF regional office with which the account is maintained and your employer's PF code. Once the new organisation gets these details, it adds the new account number to it and submits the form to the regional office with which your previous organization had an account. In case your previous organisation had maintained a trust, the form has to be sent to the trust and a copy to the regional provident fund.
Though the process of transferring takes nearly a month, the good news is that the EPFO is developing a new software for enabling online transfer of money from the older accounts to the newer ones. This will not only reduce the paperwork but also the time taken for the transaction.
What if you don't transfer: Till now, there was no compelling reason to transfer the money from an old account to a new one. Even if you stopped putting money in your account, the balance kept earning interest till the time of withdrawal. This will stop from April 2011. After three years of inactivity, the balance will stop earning interest.
Even otherwise, multiple accounts can be a pain. They only add to your paperwork because you need to keep records of different accounts. Also, you will need to fill up separate forms to withdraw the money from the accounts. The process gets more cumbersome if accounts are located in different cities. "Transferring the balance not only makes it easy to transact, but also gives the subscriber a better idea of how much he has in his account," says Amit Gopal, senior vice-president, India Life Capital.
In future the social security number, which is in progress, would make EPF portable. "Once this number is allotted to members, they need not switch the funds. The new employer would make the contributions into that account. It will be completely independent of the workplace," he adds.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/personal-finance/savings-centre/analysis/epf-can-make-you-a-crorepati/articleshow/7118066.cms
20 DEC, 2010, 08.38PM IST, SUDESHNA SEN AND PRADEEP PANDEY,ET BUREAU
Tata Group acquires UK's Cheshire Salt Holdings
The Tata group has bought up yet another major company in the UK, the country's largest manufacturer of salt, consolidating its position as UK's biggest manufacturing employer. In a deal valued at GBP 93 million (about Rs 650 crore) Tata Chemicals European subsidiary Brunner Mond acquired Cheshire Salt Holdings , the parent company of British Salt, from its current owners LDC, the private equity arm of British banking group Lloyds. "The acquisition will be entirely debt financed on a non recourse basis to Tata Chemical," said Mr Mukundan, MD of Tata Chemicals, and has been underwritten by Standard Chartered Bank.The buy will give Brunner Mond access to assured supplies of a key raw material, salt deposits, which it lost at the time of its divestment from ICI, and its salt deposits are currently owned by Ineos. " This will help Brunner Mond maintain its low cost manufacturing position in Europe and provides great opportunity to optimise the costs further," said Mr Mukundan. Brunner Mond corporate affairs director Neal Chamberlain said that the company has no plans at present to change its arrangement with current suppliers for now. British Salt has enough reserves to provide Brunner Mond for 50 years.
British Salt generates an annual revenue of around 35 million pound at an EBIDTA of over 45%, according to PK Ghose, CFO of Tata Chemicals. , "We expect Brunner Mond to become a debt free company in next five years," he added. Post acquisition the company will have a debt of around 150 million pound on its account. The move gives Brunner Mond and the Tata group entry point to the food processing and gas storage business for Brunner Mond, sectors where British Salt has considerable expertise.
British Salt produces about half the UK's pure salt for a range of applications from food processing to industrial applications, including de-icing salt – currently in huge demand in snow-bound Europe. British salt was acquired from its earlier American owner in a LDC backed management buyout three years ago. Lloyds has exited seven firms this year worth around £800 million, and was understood to be looking out for a suitable offer – and Brunner Mond has been eyeing British Salt for some time, given the complementary business, as well as physical proximity of both companies – they're practically neighbours.
15 DEC, 2010, 07.57PM IST,REUTERS
Indonesia says Indian firms may invest up to $8 bn in fertilisers
JAKARTA: Indian firms are likely to invest $6-$8 billion in fertiliser production in Indonesia , Indonesia's investment chief Gita Wirjawan told Reuters on Wednesday.Wirjawan did not give the names of firms or the likely timing. Local media quoted him as saying he expected Indian direct investment to hit $5 billion in the next three to five years, with investments in coal mining and the power sector.
"On my visit to India , when meeting with several businessmen and government officials, they were interested to boost the production capacity of fertiliser in Indonesia," Wirjawan said.
Foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy has picked up this year, but many investors are still put off by rampant graft, red tape and problems of land acquisition.
A non-resident Indian can remit $1 mn from property sales
The prices of ancestral properties left in India by emigrating non-resident Indians (NRIs) have escalated beyond their belief. Little wonder they have developed a new and intense interest in claiming their share, especially with recession biting hard in the West. In the last few years, the ancestral homes in India are valued in crores.
So these amounts become very attractive for NRIs to claim and remit. In the recent past, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the maximum amount that can be sent abroad without special permissions. However, these properties should not be agricultural land, a farm house or a plantation.
An NRI/PIO is allowed to send abroad up to $1 million from the sale of property in any one financial year. This amount should be the sale proceeds of property inherited by him out of rupee funds. This transfer is subject to production of documentary evidence in support of acquisition, inheritance or legacy of assets by the NRI, and a tax clearance or a no objection certificate from the Income Tax Authority. The $1 million remittance can also be made from the balances held in Non Resident Ordinary Rupee (NRO) Accounts.
After taking a dip following the financial crisis of 2008, property prices have bounced back and how. Despite the high price rise, more and more NRIs are keen to buy properties in India. Who can buy property in India? An NRI who is a citizen of India but residing outside, or a Person of Indian Origin (PIO). A PIO is defined as an individual (not a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal or Bhutan) who has held an Indian passport at any time or whose father or mother or grandfather or grandmother was a citizen of India.
The laws related to immovable property in India are complex and are not uniform from one state to another, said Rajan D. Gupta, a senior lawyer and a qualified accountant with SRGR Law Offices.
"A major concern is to determine the clear and marketable title of the land under question and to ensure that the land under question is free from any encumbrances such as litigation, prior mortgages, any third party interest or rights and any governmental actions such as compulsory acquisition proceedings," said Gupta.
"Again, in case of properties, especially agricultural properties, which are owned by farming families, there are a number of family law issues which again are myriad as there are a number of religions in India and most of them have their own characteristic legal frameworks."
Gupta said to ward off such issues and be almost certain about the legal status of the property to be acquired, it is advisable that a competent legal professional must be engaged to conduct a title check and due diligence of the property to be acquired.
"It is also important to engage such a professional who practises within the jurisdiction where the property is situated so that he/she is aware of the local legal compliances and issues," he added.
NRIs face many legal tangles about their properties in India. These relate to the purchase, transfer and ownership of property, power of attorney, management and eviction of tenants, remittance of the sale proceeds, illegal grabbing of their properties and other related issues.
Their legal cases have been pending in the courts for years, indeed decades. If an NRI is fighting a case with a resident Indian, he is at a disadvantage because the Indian is in no hurry while the NRI has limited time to attend to his case during his visit to India or make special trips for court appearances.
20 DEC, 2010, 06.55PM IST,TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES
Govt suspends onion exports due to high prices
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Monday decided to suspend the exports of onion till January 15 in the wake of skyrocketing prices.
The decision to ban onion exports was taken on Monday at a NAFED meeting.
Concerned over rocketing of prices of onion, the government has called an emergency meeting on Monday to review the export of the produce.
Onion prices have doubled to Rs 60-70 a kg in retail markets in the national capital in the past few days due to supply crunch, prompting the government to call an emergency meeting to review export of the important agri produce.
The onion prices which was already high at Rs 35-40 a kg rose astronomically since Sunday when it skyrocketed to Rs 60-70 a kg in the retail outlets in Delhi and surrounding areas.
The wholesale price of the onion has soared to Rs 30-60 a kg in Azadpur market (Asia's biggest fruit & vegetables market) since Sunday, trade sources said.
Traders attributed the phenomenon to supply crunch due to unseasonal rains in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Southern states, bulk producers of the vital produce.
"Supply of onion has dipped almost by 50 per cent in the Azadpur market," general secretary of chamber of Azadpur fruit & vegetables, Rajendra Sharma, said.
Only 80 tempos (each one carrying 9 tonnes) and 20 trucks (each truck carrying 15 tonnes) arrived in the Azadpur market on Monday from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, Sharma said.
Surendra Bidhi Raj, an Onion trader, opioned that rise in onion prices is due to large-scale export of the produce to gulf countries and neighbouring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh since September last.
They said the supply crisis is expected to continue for another 15 days till there is a pick up in arrival of fresh produce from Nashik in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Maharashtra is the largest producer of onion in the country.
HIgh onion prices had forced Agri-cooperative NAFED to increase price of onion to USD 525 a tonne on November 15 last month to ensure that the produce is made available in the domestic market in good quantity.
NAFED had on December One last kept the price unchanged at the same level (USD 525 a tonne) to maintain good arrival of the produce in the domestic markets.
20 DEC, 2010, 07.18AM IST, AMITI SEN,ET BUREAUNine pacts in hand, India presses US to begin totalisation talks
NEW DELHI: India has stepped up pressure on the US to start negotiations on a totalisation agreement that would exempt Indians working for a short period in the country from making social security contributions there.A social security agreement with the US could save India more than a billion dollar in lost salary every year, according to estimates made by software industry body Nasscom .
India pressed on the need to start negotiations during US President Barack Obama's recent visit. "It's been more than three years since we proposed a totalisation agreement. It is high time we started the negotiations," a commerce department official said. The US has promised to get back soon on when negotiations could begin, the official added.
A foreigner working in the US for less than five years could be exempt from paying social security tax if his home country has a totalisation agreement with the US and the worker contributes to the social security scheme of its native country.
The US has been dilly-dallying on an agreement with India on the ground that social security structures of the two countries were different. India has proposed that concerns about non-compatibility of the social security systems of the two countries could be addressed during the talks.
With India signing similar agreements with as many as nine countries non-compatibility cannot remain an argument, said trade expert Manav Majumdar from industry body Ficci. India has totalisation agreements with Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Luxembourg.
These agreements entitle people from both countries to be exempt from paying social security tax if they work for a short period in the foreign country and make contributions back home.
Since contributions made for social security in the US yield benefits only after ten years of work, Indians working on H1B visas are not in a position to gain from it as the maximum stay allowed under these visas is six years. The ministry of overseas affairs and department of IT are also part of the discussion with the US.
India has also recently tightened the circumstances under which foreigners working in India can withdraw their provident fund accumulations, hoping to put pressure on countries such as the US and UK to enter into social security agreements.
Expat workers can now withdraw their provident fund balances only on retirement at 58 years of age as opposed to earlier one of at the end of their employment here.
Gilchrist, Lara in top bracket of $400,000 for IPL auctions
Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara, dashing Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist are among overseas players who have been put in the top bracket base price for the upcoming auctions of the fourth edition of Indian Premier League.
As per information received, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting's name doesn't figure in the list that the IPL governing council has sent to the franchisees.
Around 400 foreign players have expressed their willingness to be a part of the cricketing extravaganza. They have been classified in six brackets ranging from $20,000 to $ 400,000.
The Australians have only three players --- top scorer in IPL-I Shaun Marsh, Gilchrist, the captain of second edition champions Deccan Chargers and speed merchant Brett Lee in the top bracket base price. The Hussey brothers Mike and David are in the second base price bracket of $ 300,000 while T20 and ODI specialist David Warner is in the third bracket with a base price of $ 200,000.
However, it was surprising that West Indian legend Lara, who has last played a ODI back in 2007, has been classified in the top bracket.
" Brian Lara is a big brand name. Also the fact, he may not have been too comfortable being bracketed in a lower base price category," an IPL source told mediapersons today.
Chris Gayle is the only other West Indies player in the top bracket.
Defending World T20 champions England have six players Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright and Michael Yardy in top bracket. New Zealand have their skipper Daniel Vettori, deputy Ross Taylor and wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum in the top rung.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara is however missing from the elite group as only two Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene and TM Dilshan have found place. South African captain Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers are in the top brtacket too.
There are no Bangaldeshis in the Elite group as Shakib Al-Hasan is the player with highest base price of $ 200,000. Mohammed Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal have base prices of $ 50,000 and 100,000 respectively.
Top Bracket Base Price ($ 400,000)
Australia: Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee
England: Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy
Sri Lanka: TM Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Brian Lara
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum
South Africa: Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers.
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Raja 1 hour ago Report Abuse
He is a shame to the country and dirtier than a dirty politician.How much respect we were all having for him cutting across political boundaries. This is the biggest corruption allegation in the country and that too not alleged by opposition parties. Constitutional bodies like CVC(earlier), CAG and supreme court have all commented about this. But still this man is obstructing JPC probe.JPC probe is a must because you cannot purchase every political party as they all will have representations. If probe by other bodies, you can purchase the key person and already key positions are filled by handpicked persons.
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Friends, please don't go by political affiliations. If guilty are not punished in this biggest scam , then the country is doomed. All future scamsters will quote this case as an example and try to escape. This is the greatest danger
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MNS Nampoothiripad 1 hour ago Report Abuse
PM knew beforehand what Raja was going to do in 2G spectrum was against the nation's interest. So he advised Raja to do the right thing. He also knew that his advice was given scant regard by Raja and that the latter went ahead with his looting spree. He did not do anything even though his conscience cautioned him. But helpless as he was, Dr.Manmohan Singh looked the other way for almost two years and now says he is ready to appear before the PAC. But for his total lack of intervention when it was required most, Raja could not loot the nation Rs. 176000 crores. If Raja is accused No.1, Manmohan Sigh is a coaccused in the crime. He is accessory before and after the fact of the actual crime. He is the high profile officer on special duty by Sonia.So not just the PM but Sonia also has a lot to answer before the JPC. The culprits cannot choose the investigating ajency or forum. PM's words "no one will be s pared if found guilty" does not wash much. He just sat quite to complete the crime and to escape with the loot and to destroy evidence. People cannot beleive what he says especially when he himself is one of the accussed in the eyes of the public
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Govindan 2 hours ago Report Abuse
Now that the investigation is directly supervised by the highest authority on law and justice one should wait for its judgement on the alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocations. Even Subramanyam swamy who is instrumental in raising the issue with the Govt.stated that he never suspected the integrity of the PM.
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Anand 2 hours ago Report Abuse
hi,is this man running this india or sonia(mam) ? gandhi are born for corruption.
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Ajju 2 hours ago Report Abuse
Manmohan sir, there is no question about your integrity and honesty. We are very fortunate that we have a PM like you. I may say that you are next to honest but sir your honesty should result in the favour of the nation. Corrupt politicians may be befitted by your silence.
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Please act and show your dare to punish the the big giants who ever he/she may be. Dont' work under pressure of Italian women and her mad son.
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Jaffar 2 hours ago Report Abuse
pm tumhare ram se badh kar hai,us insan ne ajtak 1rupay haram ka nahi kamaya.to fakr to hona hi chahy.b4u say anything see ur parents culture,which only taught u ppl to abuse,blame the god manmohan and spread disintegrity,anger etc. That u should hv learnt 4rm ur parents..pm best to nahi,par baki koi neta uski barabri nahi kar sakta/ti
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Bestman 3 hours ago Report Abuse
It is sad that PM after a long silence after the exit of the main accused minister from his cabinet and he has given clean chit to him in his speech earlier.Congress and allies adamant for 20 days not allowing JPC for lame excuses and fear of deep probing by the opposition parties.
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The scam amount involved is already the biggest one in the history and a big big shame.But PM saying i am happy to face PAC and nothing to hide.What he means by this?.He is scared of JPC or he has not been a party involved to this scam where a group of culprits from north to south looted already.The action is slow and the response is slow and intentions are very peculiar from UPA making the nation a big mess......PM is a financial expert and he has many good friends in the Public Accounts Dept which nation knows well and why PAC is the conclusion UPA arrives.to save any Queen or the servants?..................Awake India atleast now.
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Ranjit 3 hours ago Report Abuse
chup be congress k chamche...ppl like u should be sent to pak along with sonia and rapist rahul
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Murali 3 hours ago Report Abuse
No body suspect the inteagraity of our P.M. Even Mr. Subramaniaya swamy is also catagorically said that P.M is not involved in any of the scam. But he has been made as a shield for all these by the old bandiquates including Sonia and Karuna, rajathi, Kanimozhi and Raja. Karuna will make Raja as scape goat and dismiss him from the party after taking all the money from him.
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Sandy 3 hours ago Report Abuse
Singhji, Kuch to apne aap bhi kar liya karo.
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Ajith 3 hours ago Report Abuse
PAC- Congress controlled Investigation. Scape goats will come out.
JPC - Got ultimate power. Can even Question even PM/Madam etc? No one can escape. Truth will come out.
PMji Accept JPC and shut BJP's mouth!!!!
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P.R.Rao Vizag 3 hours ago Report Abuse
People vote someone to power with a positive hope of better well being. If, after so voted, the rulers
neglect the social welfare of the ruled, and indulge in scams and corruption, it is nothing but
ingratitude. I still remember a quote from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". Describing the
law of the land in Lilliput, Gulliver says "in Lilliput, ingratitude is always punished with death, since
a person who is ungrateful to his own benefactor, cannot be expected to do any good to those from whom he doesn't receive any help". Though Mr. Singh is a man of spotless character, his silence, tolerance and inaction on scams and corruption render him answerable to the nation in
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this regard. It is high time he would act in the right earnest to uphold the dignity of his role as P.M
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Arya 4 hours ago Report Abuse
why do you fear jpc.....its constitutional right?
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Manoj 4 hours ago Report Abuse
why JPC ? only because opposition is demanding and media is supporting that demand. If judgement is going to be taken on the basis of only CAG report , then not a single Govt. office in India is clean. JPC only delay the process of inquiry and its provide a platform to politicise every steps and procedure taken in 2G allocation.We people ,should shoulder the responsibility of this mess. Politics of the country reflects the image of the society.
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Balu 4 hours ago Report Abuse
Now that Prime Minister has come out and said that he will appear before the PAC if required,I do
not think there is any logic in opposition parties,especially BJP inisisting on JPC. Supreme Court
is also monitoring the CBI enquiry. Let everybody wait for the result. BJP's one point programe is
tarnish the Prime Minister,who is very clean.Of course,coalition politics has its own major weaknesses,and that is what has happened to UPA2.
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The nation is waiting to see the outcome of decisions taken by Telecom Ministers during NDA period. Hope BJP will have explanations at that time also.JAI HIND
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P.R.Rao Vizag 4 hours ago Report Abuse
Endurance is a good policy.
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Prabir 4 hours ago Report Abuse
Manmohan: Tu is Desh ka Kalank Hai. Ek Gore-chamrawali-se tu itna prabhabhit huye ki aaj tera Dumb Bhashan me tera Bolne ka Dhang Hub-a-hu Sonia jaisi laagi. Keya Sonia ki Bhoot tere par itna havi ho gayee? Kuchh to sharm kar, aare itna lootne ke baad bhi tera pet nahi bhara keya? Desh ko aur lootne ka program leke yeh khokhla plenary session rakha is liye ki sab mil baith-ke aur kuchh scam ka naksha bana sake? Haramkhor, is desh ka namak paani khata hai na Itali se mangaya jata hai ?
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Sriram 4 hours ago Report Abuse
Respected PM,
We all know that you have been keeping quiet for the sake of Sonia. Please assert yourself and place the nation before self and punish the swindlers.
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Ramesh S - Triplicane 4 hours ago Report Abuse
i think talking about the comparision between congress and bjp we are out of track, the question is why the congress party is not accepting for jpc? pm has to clear this first
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Why the pm is not taken any action against raja after knowing that he is corrupt?
What action has been taken from the side of prime minister / congress against 2G?
If the PM hands are clean then who stopped PM to initiate action against corruption?
What was the plan of action to recover this 176 lakh crore rupees from the beneficiery?
Who will be responsible for this scam?
What guarantee will PM / Congress gives to a common man the such type of scams will not happen from the end of congress or allied groups in the future?
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Why no one is not speaking anything about swiss account holders names? when was the list should be published?
Hope our PM / Congress will give answers to the above if they are clean.
Oh god save our nation..!
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Srinivasan 4 hours ago Report Abuse
dear Mr.mister clean.glad to know that your boss allowed you to opened yuor mouth atleast now .Mr prime minister please reply these questions. 1).you know very well something is wrong in the spetrum2g allocation . then why did not you stopped it and enquire? 2) this allocation had happened in the UPA's first five year term. you know very well that there was a scam in s2g allocations, then why you had alloted the same telecom portfolio to the same person who was involved in the scam? 3) all these years, when there was uproar all over the country why you were opening your mouth? 4) why are you afraid of JPC? Mr prime minister the people of India had shown lot of faith in you. but you have let of these poor people and helping the culprits sincerely.even if you do penance in golden temple for many years you cannot wash your sins!
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If you are man enough to come out with truth, punish the culprits severly and bring out the looted money whereevr it was stashed then only your sins will go.SAT SREE AKAL.
Central Bureau of Investigation
 | This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (July 2010) |
| Central Bureau of Investigation | |||||||
| Common name | Central Bureau of Investigation | ||||||
| Abbreviation | CBI | ||||||
 | |||||||
| Seal of the Central Bureau of Investigation | |||||||
| Motto | Industry, Impartiality, Integrity | ||||||
| Agency overview | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formed | 1 April 1963 | ||||||
| Preceding agency | Special Police Establishment (SPE) (1941) | ||||||
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||||
| Jurisdictional structure | |||||||
| Federal agency | India | ||||||
| Governing body | Government of India | ||||||
| General nature |
| ||||||
| Operational structure | |||||||
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India | ||||||
| Agency executive | Amar Pratap Singh. IPS., Director | ||||||
| Parent agency | Department of Personnel and Training | ||||||
| Child agency | Interpol National Central Bureau India branch | ||||||
| Regions | |||||||
| Facilities | |||||||
| Branchs | 52 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Website | |||||||
| http://www.cbi.gov.in/index.php | |||||||
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941. Its motto is "Industry, Impartiality, Integrity".
The CBI is controlled by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension of the Union Government usually headed by a Union Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister. While analogous in structure to the FBI, the CBI's powers and function are severely limited to specific crimes based on Acts (mainly the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946). The CBI is the official Interpol unit for India.The current director of CBI is Amar Pratap Singh.
[edit] Introduction
The Central Bureau of Investigation traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment (SPE) (Hindi: विशेष पुलिस संस्थापन Vishesh Police Sansthapan), which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India. The functions of the SPE were to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in transactions with the War & Supply Department of India during World War II. The superintendent of the SPE was vested with the War Department. Even after the end of the War, the need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption by Central Government employees was felt. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was therefore brought into force in 1946. This Act transferred the superintendence of the SPE to the Home Department and its functions were enlarged to cover all departments of the Govt. of India. The jurisdiction of the SPE extended to all the Union Territories and could be extended also to the States with the consent of the State Government concerned.
[edit] Founder director
The founder director of the CBI was D.P. Kohli who held office from 1 April 1963 to 31 May 1968. Before this, he was Inspector General of Police of the Special Police Establishment from 1955 to 1963. Before that he held responsible positions in police in Madhya Bharat, Uttar Pradesh and Govt. of India. He was Police Chief in Madhya Bharat before joining the SPE. Kohli was awarded 'Padma Bhushan' in 1967 for his distinguished services.
Kohi was a visionary who saw in the Special Police Establishment the potential of growing into the national investigative agency. He nurtured the organisation during his long stint as Inspector General and as Director and laid the solid foundation on which the organisation grew over the decades to become what it is today.
[edit] CBI takes shape
As the CBI, over the years, established a reputation of being India's premier investigative agency with adequate resources to deal with complicated cases, demands were made on it to take up investigation of more cases of conventional crime such as murder, kidnapping, terrorism, etc. Apart from this, the Supreme court and even the various High Courts of the country also started entrusting such cases for investigation to the CBI on petitions filed by aggrieved parties. Taking into account the fact that several cases falling under this category were being taken up for investigation by the CBI, it was found expedient to entrust such cases to the Branches having local jurisdiction.
It was therefore decided in 1987 to constitute two investigation divisions in the CBI, namely, Anti-Corruption Division and Special Crimes Division, the latter dealing with cases of conventional crime, besides economic offences. The CBI is a central subject under the Constitution of India, meaning that it reports to the Indian Government and not to the individual states.
[edit] Role and functions
The CBI is the premier investigating police agency in India. It is an elite force playing a major role in preservation of values in public life and in ensuring the health of the national economy. It is also the nodal police agency in India which coordinates investigation on behalf of Interpol Member countries. The services of its investigating officers are sought for all major investigations in the country. CBI as an organisation is held in high esteem by the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the Parliament and the public. The CBI has to investigate major crimes in the country having interstate and international ramifications. It is also involved in collection of criminal intelligence pertaining to three of its main areas of operation, viz., Anti-Corruption, Economic Crimes and Special Crimes.
CBI investigations have a major impact on the political and economic life of the nation. The following broad categories of criminal cases are handled by the CBI:
- Anti Corruption Division: Cases of corruption and fraud committed by public servants of all Central Govt. Departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings and Central Financial Institutions.
- Economic Crimes Division: Deals with cases including bank frauds, financial frauds, Import Export & Foreign Exchange violations, large-scale smuggling of narcotics, antiques, cultural property and smuggling of other contraband items etc.
- Special Crimes Division: Deals with cases such as cases of terrorism, bomb blasts, sensational homicides, kidnapping for ransom and crimes committed by the mafia/the underworld.
[edit] Structure of CBI
The CBI is headed by a Director, an IPS Officer of the rank of Director General of Police or Commissioner of Police (State). Director is selected based on the procedure laid down by CVC Act 2003 and has a tenure of 2 years. The other important ranks in the CBI are Special Director, Additional Director, Joint Director, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police, Additional Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Inspector, Sub-Inspector, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Head Constable, Senior Constable and Constable.[1]
According to annual reports Staff of CBI is usually divided between Ministerial staff, Ex-cadre posts which are usually of technical nature, Executive Staff and EDP Staff. Hindi Bhasha staff belongs to the Department of official languages.
Ministerial Staff includes LDC, UDC, Crime Assistants etc. Executive Staff includes Constables, ASI, Sub-Inspectors, Inspectors etc. EDP Staff includes Data Entry Operators, Data Processing Assistants, Assistant Programmers, Programmers and SSA.
[edit] Jurisdiction powers, privileges and liabilities
The legal powers of investigation of CBI are derived from the DSPE Act 1946. This Act confers concurrent and coextensive powers, duties, privileges and liabilities on the members of Delhi Special Police Establishment (CBI) with Police Officers of the Union Territories. The Central Government may extend to any area, besides Union Territories, the powers and jurisdiction of members of the CBI for investigation subject to the consent of the Government of the concerned State. While exercising such powers, members of the CBI of or above the rank of Sub Inspector shall be deemed to be officers incharge of Police Stations of respective jurisdictions. The CBI can investigate only such of the offences as are notified by the Central Government under the DSPE Act.
[edit] Jurisdiction of CBI vis-a-vis State Police
Law and Order is a State subject and the basic jurisdiction to investigate crime lies with State Police. Besides, due to limited resources, CBI would not be able to investigate crimes of all kind. CBI may investigate:
- Cases which are essentially against Central Govt. employees or concerning affairs of the Central Govt. and the employees of the Central Public Sector Undertakings and Public Sector Banks.
- Cases in which the financial interests of the Central Government are involved.
- Cases relating to the breaches of Central Laws with the enforcement of which the Government of India is mainly concerned.
- Big cases of fraud, cheating, embezzlement and the like relating to companies in which large funds are involved and similar other cases when committed by organised gangs or professional criminals having ramifications in several States.
- Cases having interstate and international ramifications and involving several official agencies where, from all angles, it is considered necessary that a single investigating agency should be incharge of the investigation.
[edit] Former directors (1961 - present)
[edit] Corruption in CBI
Because of its intensely political overtones, it has been exposed by its former bigwigs like Joginder Singh and BR Lall who were Director and Joint Director respectively, to be engaging in nepotism , mal-prosecution and outright corruption. In his book, Who Owns CBI, BR Lall, an honest and upright officer details the modus operandi of manipulating and derailing investigation[2] This organisation has become synonymous with corruption as information obtained under the RTI Act has revealed. Even the Top Bosses are known for stooping to illegal fund diversions.[3]
[edit] Controversies
Normally, cases assigned to the CBI are sensitive and of national importance. It is a usual practice for the respective state police departments, to initially register any case coming under its jurisdiction, and if necessary, through mediation by the central government, the cases may be transferred to the CBI. The CBI handles many high profile cases, and is never far from controversy.
[edit] Bofors scandal
In January 2006, it was found that CBI had quietly unfrozen bank accounts of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, one of the prime accused in the Bofors scandal of 1986 which had tainted the Rajiv Gandhi government.[4] The Central Bureau of Investigation has been responsible for the inquiry into the Bofors Case. Associates of the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi were linked to alleged pay-offs made in the mid-1980s by the Swedish arms form AB Bofors, with $40 million in kickbacks moved from Britain and Panama to secret Swiss banks. The $1,300 million arms purchase of 410 howitzer field guns involved in the sale were reported to be inferior to those offered by a French competitor.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which defreezed Rs 21 crore stashed in a London bank in two accounts held by Bofors scam accused Ottavio Quattrocchi and his wife Maria in 2006, has facilitated his travel across the globe by asking Interpol to take him off the "wanted" list on 29 Apr 2009. Following a communication from the CBI, the Interpol has withdrawn the Red Corner Notice against the Italian. The development that comes barely three weeks before the end of the Manmohan Singh government's tenure has brought back the issue of the Bofors scandal to the centre stage.It is often suspected that ruling governments interfere with the work of the CBI , and nevertheless the handling of the bofors investigation by CBI under congress governments has created a new synonym for CBI.After letting of the bofors accused - Oppositions have never tired to call it as the Congress Bureau of Investigation.
[edit] ISRO spy ring case
In 1994 two scientists with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and two Indian businessmen were arrested for allegedly conspiring to sell space secrets to two Maldivian women, who were originally described by newspapers as agents of Pakistani intelligence, for money and sex. The CBI investigation did not reveal the existence of a spy ring, and by early 1995 it was clear that the case was more a product of inexperience and over exuberation on the part of the police and Intelligence Bureau.It was a well planned scheme to remove the then DGP Ramon S by concocted links to Maldivian lady. The scheme was plotted by some officers of Kerala police, the media and Muslim League as DGP was made of sterner stuff.[citation needed]
[edit] Hawala scandal
In 1991 an arrest linked to militants in Kashmir led to a raid on hawala brokers, revealing evidence of large-scale payments to national politicians. The prosecution that followed was partly prompted by a public interest petition (see Vineet Narain), and yet the court cases of the Hawala scandal eventually all collapsed without convictions. The CBI's role was again criticised. In concluding the Vineet Narain case, the Supreme Court of India directed that the Central Vigilance Commission should be given a supervisory role over the CBI.[5]
[edit] Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case
The CBI has been under a cloud owing to its handling of the Priyadarshini Mattoo case, in which the alleged murderer of a 22-year old law student was acquitted for what the case judge called "deliberate inaction" by the investigating team. The accused was the son of a high ranking officer in the Indian Police Service, due to which the case had been shifted from the regular police force to the CBI. However, the 1999 judgment commented on how "the influence of the father of the accused has been there". Embarrassed by the judgment, the-then CBI Director, R K Raghavan, requested two Special Directors, P C Sharma and G H Achari, to study the judgement. Subsequently the CBI appealed the verdict in Delhi High court in 2000, after which the High Court issued a bailable warrant against the accused. The case again shot into limelight in 2006 after much media coverage and public bashing (this was mainly due to a similar acquittal in another high profile case though not handled by the CBI). The CBI filed an application for early hearing in July 2006. The High Court subsequently found Santosh Kumar Singh guilty of rape and murder and awarded death sentence for the same in October 2006.
[edit] Nithari Killings
The CBI was given the responsibility of investigating the murders of dozens of children in the Nithari village near Noida, UP. This was after the local police was found to be incompetent and lethargic in their investigations. The serial killings were in the Indian and international media for weeks since decomposing bodies were found outside the house of the accused Moninder Singh Pandher. But due to power of politics he is free man now and poor Koli get death sentence. It is good example of political use of CBI
[edit] Dawood Ibrahim case
In August 2007, the CBI asked its Pakistani counterpart, the Federal Investigation Agency, for its comments on recent media reports about the detention of Dawood Ibrahim by authorities in Karachi.
[edit] Sister Abhaya murder case
Sister Abhaya murder case concerns a nun, who was found dead in a water well in Saint Pius X convent hostel in Kottayam, Kerala on 27 March 1992. Altogether there were five CBI inquiries into the murder case so far without any tangible results. The powerful Catholic Lobby had exerted their undue influence to subdue the case as a Priest and a nun were involved. Abhaya had caught them in a compromising position.[6]
[edit] Sohrabuddin case:(Gujrat)- Geeta Johri
CBI has been accused of being acting under supervision of the ruling party Congress (UPA) to trap its opposition party mainly BJP. CBI who is dealing with the Sohrabuddin case in Gujrat questioned Geeta Johri, an IPS officer who claims The Central Bureau of Investigation is pressuring me to falsely implicate the former Gujarat Minister, Amit Shah, in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case," Rajkot Police Commissioner Geeta Johri has alleged in the Supreme Court.[7]
[edit] Malankara Varghese murder case
The Malankara Varghese murder case concerns the death of T.M.Varghese also known as Malankara Varghese,a member of Malankara Orthodox Church's managing committee and a timber merchant in 5 December 2002.On 9 May 2010 charged Father Varghese Thekkekara,a priest and manager of the Angamali diocese in the rival Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (a part of the Syriac Orthodox Church) with conspiracy in the murder of Malankara Varghese and named him as the prime accused.Till date,the prime accused has not been arrested, CBI is highly being criticized for this by Kerala High Court and Media.[8]
[edit] Bhopal gas tragedy
The public perceived that CBI was very ineffective in trying the Bhopal gas tragedy case, the former CBI director has now confessed that he asked to remain soft on extraditing the Union Carbide CEO Warren Andreson,[9] and dropped charges including culpable homicide against accused in this case, who received two year sentences.[citation needed] The events resulted in the deaths of more than 15000 people.[citation needed]
[edit] Convictions
CBI has a high conviction rate.
| Name | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| D.P. Kohli | 1963–68 | |
| F. V. Arul | 1968–71 | |
| D Sen | 1971-77 | |
| S N Mathur | 1977 | Acting |
| C V Narsimhan | 1977 | Acting |
| John Lobo | 1977–79 | |
| R D Singh | 1979-80 | |
| J S Bajwa | 1980–85 | |
| M G Katre | 1985-89 | |
| A P Mukherjee | 1989–90 | |
| R Sekhar | 1990 | Acting |
| Vijay Karan | 1990–92 | |
| S K Datta | 1992–93 | |
| K V R Rao | 1993–96 | |
| J Singh | 1996–97 | |
| R C Sharma | 1997–98 | |
| D R Karthikeyan | 1998 | Acting |
| T N Mishra | 1998–99 | |
| R K Raghavan | 1999–2001 | |
| P C Sharma | 2001–2003 | |
| U S Misra | 2003–2005 | |
| V S Tiwari | 2005–2008 | |
| W Ashwini Kumar | 2008–2010 | |
| Vikram Pratap Singh | 2010-Present | |
| Year | Conviction Rate | |
| 2008 | 66.2% [10] | |
| 2007 | 67.7% [11] |
[edit] CBI Academy
CBI Academy at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, started functioning in 1996. The Academy is situated towards east of Delhi, in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh[12] at a distance of around 40 km from New Delhi Railway Station and about 65 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. It is spread over of 26.5 acres (107,000 m²) of lush green fields and plantations with a covered area consisting of the Administrative, Academic, Hostel and Residential Blocks. Prior to that a small Training Centre was functional at Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi only for conducting short term in-service courses. CBI then, was dependent on State Police Training Institutions and NPA, Hyderabad for training basic courses of Dy.SsP, SIs and constables.
The Academy now caters to the training needs of all ranks of CBI. Training facilities for certain specialised courses are also made available to the officials of State Police, Central Police Organisations (CPO), Vigilance organisations of public sector undertakings, banks and government departments and Indian Armed Forces.
[edit] In popular media
The CBI film series is a set of Malayalam films directed by K. Madhu starring Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, a sharp and highly intelligent investigative officer of the CBI. Till 2005, four films were released in the series:Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988, A CBI diary note) and Jagratha (1989, Caution), Sethurama Iyer CBI (2004) and Nerariyan CBI (2005, CBI In pursuit of truth). It is also featured in the 2009 Tamil Film Kanthaswamy.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "CBI - Organisation Chart". http://www.cbi.gov.in/orgnchart/orgchartnew.htm.
- ^ Mohan, Vishwa (27 November 2006). "Origin of Hawala funds were not traced". India Times. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Origin-of-hawala-funds-were-not-traced/articleshow/589130.cms. [dead link]
- ^ Saikat Datta (21 September 2009). "Grease On The Lens". outlookindia.com. http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261778. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - India". http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/india/cbi.htm.
- ^ "Vineet Narain Case, Directions of the Court". 2 November 2006. http://cbi.nic.in/Judgements/dsc.htm.
- ^ "Sr Abhaya murder: CBI Lies in HC kerala". mathrubhumi.com. http://mathrubhumi.com/php/newsFrm.php?news_id=1246582&n_type=HO&category_id=1&Farc=&previous=Y.
- ^ J. Venkatesan (29 august 2010). "CBI putting pressure on me: Geeta Johri". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/29/stories/2010082960770100.htm. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Malankara Varghese murder: HC questions CBI". expressbuzz.com. 1 June 2010. http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/malankara-varghese-murder-hc-questions-cbi/177965.html. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Was told to go soft on Warren Anderson: Former CBI official". NDTV. http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/was-told-to-go-soft-on-warren-anderson-former-cbi-official-30511.php.
- ^ "CBI annual report 2008". cbi.gov.in. http://www.cbi.gov.in/annualreport/cbi_annual_report_2008.pdf.
- ^ "CBI annual report 2007". cib.gov.in. http://www.cbi.gov.in/annualreport/cbi_annual_report_2007.pdf.
- ^ "Welcome to CBI Academy School of eLearning". cbiacademy.gov.in. http://www.cbiacademy.gov.in/.
[edit] Further reading
[edit] External links
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