As the government prepares to act on the recent Supreme Court judgment scrapping 122 telecom licences issued in 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal and Attorney General GE Vahanvati on Saturday at his residence to take their views on the issue.
The PM sought their opinion on the implications of the SC ruling on the telecom sector so that his government can chart the way forward and execute it.
“The purpose of this exercise was only to inform the prime minister and the group about the salient features of the judgment and its consequences and implications, and the basis on which the judgment has been rendered,” Sibal told reporters after almost an hour long meeting.
“It was an exercise for informing the group. We were not required, nor did we seek any decisions from the prime minister or the group. That was not the intent of the exercise,” he added.
Telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar, who was also present at the meeting, gave a presentation on what the judgement was all about, what it could mean as and when the government moves forward.
Chandrashekhar apprised the meeting about the finer points of the judgement and its impact on the telecom sector, amidst fears that the FDI flow could be affected.
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