Nailing A Raja difficult: TRAI lawyer

Some heads may roll as the opposition mounts pressure on the government to act against those involved in the 2G spectrum scam but indictment of the accused may not be possible, a legal expert with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Sunday.

It would be difficult to indict anyone based on documentary evidence, he said.

“There is no dead body or weapon. It will be difficult to prosecute A Raja or, for that matter, anyone else based on inferences being made by various people,” the senior lawyer said.

About the money that changed hands in the scam, he said, “It [tracking down the scam money and indicting Raja] will depend on political will. Such a huge sum is difficult to swallow and would not be difficult to trace. What is being questioned is a series of decisions taken by Raja and favours made to some telecom operators, but these are inferences, not concrete evidence.”

Making telecom players accountable would also be difficult as many of them, including Reliance, Tata and Uninor, have launched services.

“Telenor, Etisalat and others were not even direct licence buyers. So, there fault cannot be established. They have paid for licences through proper banking channels and within the framework set by the government.

“Many of these companies have spent huge sums to roll out services but are making losses. They will not be able to break even for years,” he said.

The TRAI lawyer, however, said the government had the power to cancel licences of telecom service providers if irregularities in spectrum allocation are established.