2G scam: Chacko unsure of meet claimed by Behura

Chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee looking into the 2G scam, P C Chacko, today failed to confirm about the December 2007 meeting which former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura claimed was where decision was taken to allocate licences without auctioning spectrum.

"Probably, we will have to verify the date you said (when the meeting took place). Wherever there was a meeting related to the subject you are enquiring, that minutes and files we are summoning," Chacko told reporters here.

He was asked about the meeting as the JPC has gathered documents from the Department of Telecom relating to 2G spectrum allocation.

But at another point of time, Chacko said the meeting had indeed taken place but the minutes were not available.

"We have information that a meeting took place but we did not get the minutes. But the minutes, whether they are there or not, we have sent a query," he said.

Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has contested the claims of Behura over the December 4, 2007 meeting held regarding entry fees for 2G licences in which, he had said, the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram and former Finance Secretary D Subbarao were present.

Opposing the framing of charges of corruption and other penal offences against him in the case, Behura had told Special CBI Judge O P Saini yesterday that Subbarao had decided against revising the entry fee of Rs 1,659 crore for 2G licences.

"Subbarao finalised the decision taken in the meeting of December 4, 2007, that the policy stood approved and the entry fees need not be revised...even the then Finance Minister (P Chidambaram) was also present in the meeting," Behura's counsel had said.