Government moves SC on 2G issues

Government today moved the Supreme Court seeking review of the decision in the 2G case upholding the right to get sanction for prosecution of public servants even before filing of complaints and relaxation of the four month deadline for auction of the cancelled 2G licences.

The government also plans to file another petition tomorrow seeking review of its order on the appropriateness of a policy it followed for the allotment of 2G licences in 2008.

In two separate petitions today, the government sought relief from the court which had given its landmark verdicts a month ago in which it had cancelled the 122 licences issued by the then Telecom Minister A Raja on first-come-first served basis. In the review petition on sanction of prosecution of public servants, the government contended that "the question of sanction gets attracted only at the stage of cognisance after filing of complaint".

It sought review of the apex court's January 31 verdict which blamed the PMO for sitting on the plea to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking sanction to prosecute Raja. It said it was not challenging the findings in the judgement on the locus but was seeking review for the "limited extent of correcting certain errors apparent in the judgement". In another interlocutory application, the government detailed a 400-day time table for sale of spectrum as against the four-month deadline set by the court when it cancelled the licences in its verdict on February 2.