The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Centre to withdraw its review petition against the 2G case verdict cancelling 122 licences for spectrum but slammed its lawyer for the manner he wrote a letter in this regard to the apex court.
Pointing out to government law officer Indira Jaisingh, the language of the letter written by the government’s “advocate on record” on May 8 to registrar judicial asking him to place the government request before Chief Justice of India to constitute the bench to hear the Centre’s request for withdrawal of the review petition, the top court said, “The letter is rejected”.
As Mr Jaisingh expressed regret over the letter and made an oral request as well for withdrawal of the petition, a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Rahdakarishnan monitoring 2G case, however, allowed her plea and declared the review petition as “dismissed as withdrawn”.
“First the issue was discussed in public and then it comes to us. The counsel, who has circulated the letter, has not done any good for himself,” the Supreme Court bench said, apparently disapproving the leakage of information to media before government’s plea is heard.
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BEML draws CAG flak for overstatement
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, May 10
The Comptroller and Auditor-General has criticised the defence PSU BEML for “overstatement” of revenue and profits from sale of Tatra trucks, that are in the middle of a controversy following Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh’s claims that he was offered a bribe to clear the procurement of these vehicles.
“Overstatement of revenue due to incorrect recognition of sales in the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2010 was commented earlier by the CAG.
In its report tabled on Thursday, the auditing watchdog stated, “The company continued the incorrect practice in the year 2010-11 also and recognised sales of `246.52 crores in respect of 306 Tatra vehicles based on offer of vehicles for inspection. This resulted in overstatement of sales by `246.52 crores and profit by `25.31 crores.”
The government auditor stated that the amount was shown as `244.89 crores in the notes of the accounts instead of `246.52 crores. It said the “non-compliance” was not reported in the auditor’s report, though the attention was drawn to the same. Indian armed forces have been procuring the Tatra trucks through BEML, which assembles them in its facilities here.
The Tatra trucks deal landed in controversy after the Army Chief’s allegations prompting the defence ministry to recommend a CBI inquiry into their acquisition.
Between 1986 and 2012, India has procured nearly 6,500 vehicles from Tatra of which 2,950 were procured between 1999 to 2002 by the Army under special circumstances after the Kargil war and Operation Parakram.