Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani may have to appear on Friday before a special CBI court as a prosecution witness in 2G case as the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to give an urgent hearing on Reliance Telecom Ltd’s (RTL) plea against the trial court order and posted the case for hearing on Monday.
A bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi said the matter would be listed on Monday when senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for RTL, pleaded for an early hearing in view of the fact that Ambani has been summoned to appear on Friday before the special CBI court.
Earlier, the apex court had said the case will be heard by a special bench, comprising justices Singhvi and KS Radhakrishnan, which is hearing all the matters pertaining to 2G scam but no date was fixed for the hearing.
Contesting the July 19 order of the special CBI court summoning Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani to depose as CBI witnesses, RTL questioned the decision to call new witnesses at such a late stage of trial.
RTL, one of the three companies accused in the case, has challenged the order of special CBI judge OP Saini, who made the ADAG chairman and his wife prosecution witnesses on CBI’s plea that their testimony would throw light on ADAG’s companies alleged investment of over Rs. 990 crore relating to 2G spectrum in Swan Telecom.
RTL has moved the Supreme Court against the trial court’s order as the apex court bench headed by Justice Singhvi had earlier restrained all other courts, including high court, from entertaining any plea arising out of the 2G case.
The trial court had allowed CBI’s plea that the testimony of Anil and Tina Ambani may throw light on alleged investment of over Rs. 990 crore by his group companies in Swan Telecom, facing trial in the case along with its promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka.
