New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted
four more weeks time to the Centre to file its response
on the allegations that a Rs1,100-crore loss was caused
to the exchequer due to the previous NDA regime reportedly
waiving off rules to allow Reliance Industries to operate
its WLL (wireless local loop) phones as mobile phones.
The
Supreme Court bench comprising justices C K Thakker and
Altamas Kabir declined additional solicitor general Amarender
Saran plea that the PIL, filed by the NGO Citizens Forum
Against Corruption through counsel Prashant Bhushan, be
dismissed.
Saran
had sought the dismissal of the petition on the plea that
the PIL was motivated and there was no truth in the allegation
as the CBI had already stated in its affidavit.
However,
the bench did not accept the argument and has asked the
Centre to file its response.
According
to the petition, the exchequer suffered a loss of about
Rs1,100 crore after the NDA government waived mobile license
fees for Reliance to operate its WLL phones as mobile
phones without.
The
petition contended that if Reliance had fulfilled the
licencing fee norms at the same rate as other mobile operators
like Airtel, Idea and
Hutch, the government would have collected Rs1,100 crore
as licence fee.
Waiver
of the rules by the telecommunication ministry cost the
exchequer a loss of revenue, the petition alleged.
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