Based on the questioning of Shahid Balwa, the CBI is likely to send letters of request (LRs) to a couple of countries seeking details of suspected financial and business transactions. The agency will seek details of financial and business transactions of certain telecom companies and officials of the DoT in connection with the probe related to 2G in its LRs.

Union information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni on Friday said that a 13-member Broadcasting Content Complaint Council is on the anvil to deal with complaints over unsuitable television content.

Swan Telecom promoter, Shahid Usman Balwa, arrested by the CBI in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation, on Friday was sent to Tihar Jail after a Delhi court sent him to 13 days judicial custody till March 3. While seeking a 14-day JC of the accused, the CBI told special judge O.P. Saini, “They (Raja and Balwa) were evasive in

Former telecom minister A. Raja, who was sent to judicial custody on Thursday in connection with the 2G spectrum scam, is reportedly taking his stay at the Tihar Central Jail with a calm composure and is apparently hoping that he will be released soon.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday directed that the Shunglu panel report that had severely indicted suspended Prasar Bharati CEO B.S. Lalli and Doordarshan director-general Aruna Sharma for alleged financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games broadcast deal be referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The PM has also ordered the reversion of Ms Sharma, a 1958 batch IAS officer to her parent cadre of Madhya Pradesh.

The CBI on Friday conducted searches at the premises of several serving and former officials of the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games in connection with its probe related to overlays contracts, worth `650 crores.

After giving positive signals about the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the 2G spectrum allocation scam any time in the next five days, crisis managers in the UPA are working on the nitty-gritty of a panel, including its chairman and numbers.

For the dozen-odd UP legislators who are in jail on various charges, the ongoing Budget Session has not offered any respite.
Barring Mukhtar Ansari, who has obtained court permission, not even a single jailed MLA has been able to attend the budget session. Ansari is currently in jail on charges of murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.

Taking the corruption issue to President Pratibha Patil’s court, the BJP on Friday complained to her about an alleged scam to the tune of `63,000 crores in developmental works carried out in the Northeast and asked her to direct the authorities to carry out a detailed investigation into the “loot”.

Prime Minister Mamnohan Singh on Friday expressed his happiness over the developmental works in Assam but cautioned the state to bring in more transparency in to the working of the autonomous district councils of the state.