The CBI has moved an application in Delhi High Court for early hearing in 2G appeal case. The court has issued notice to former Telecom minister in the UPA regime, A Raja and the accused in the case and has fixed the matter for hearing on 30 July. The CBI  the Enforcement Directorate had earlier approached the Delhi HC against the acquittal of all accused by trial court.

A special CBI court had, in December 2017, acquitted all the 17 accused in the case relating to irregularities in the allocation of 2G telecom spectrum and licences. This had led to the CBI filing an appeal against the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others on 20 March 2018.

The court, in its order dated 7 February 2019, had imposed costs for late replies by some of the respondents and asked them to plant 500 trees each in the 177 acres of land in the South Delhi Ridge area. They were directed on the nature and number of trees to be planted. Also, they were asked to ensure the upkeep and maintenance of those trees with photograph proofs. The court had said that “at the request and in the interest of justice, one last opportunity had been granted to them to file their replies within three weeks, subject to their arranging for plantation for 500 trees each in the 177 acres of land which had recently been reclaimed by the District Magistrate (South) and is now under the jurisdiction of Deputy Conservator of Forests (South) or in the roughly 5000 acres of the forest land on South Delhi Ridge in possession of the Department of Forests, GNCTD.”

For this purpose, the said respondents or their authorised representative had to report before the DCF (South) on 15 February 2019 and the area of the plantation had to be allocated.

—India Legal Bureau