Grover is learnt to be uncomfortable about the manner in which the authorities have handled the case, and is likely to ask the SC to relieve him.
New Delhi: In a move that could cause embarrassment to the Narendra Modi government, Anand Grover, the Supreme Court-appointed special public prosecutor (SPP) in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, is likely to ask to be relieved of the responsibility.
Senior advocate Grover is likely to file an application, requesting the Supreme Court to relieve him at the earliest. He is learnt to have cited continuing “uncertainty” and “discomfiture” with the manner in which the government and the CBI have been handling the case as reasons for wanting out.
While the government has already appointed Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the SPP, there is no clarity on whether the government wants Mehta and Grover to work together.
Incidentally, while the CBI has a new SPP in Mehta, Enforcement Directorate cases continue to be with Grover. He is, however, likely to give up those cases as well as the 2G cases pending in the trial court.
The CBI and the ED have already announced their plan to file appeals against the judgment of the special CBI court, acquitting all accused in the high-profile case.
Discomfort with govt moves
Sources told ThePrint that Grover has already indicated to top functionaries of the CBI that he doesn’t want to continue handling the matter any longer.
This, sources said, could be due to what Grover views as needless and growing interference by the central government in the manner in which the 2G cases are handled in appeal.
Sources in the agency say Grover told senior CBI officials last week that he was concerned with the manner in which the government was trying to bring in new lawyers – the government on 8 February appointed Mehta the SPP, and then followed it up with another notification on 16 February, amending the 20 November 2014 notification and ensuring that Mehta and not Grover would spearhead the appeals in the 2G case, if and when that happens.
It is learnt that the CBI told Grover that he would continue to be part of the team.
Grover tightlipped
Reached for a comment, Grover refused to either confirm or deny the move, saying: “I was appointed by the Supreme Court and will tell only the court about my future plans.”
Incidentally, Grover was appointed by the Supreme Court in September 2014 after then SPP, U.U. Lalit, was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. This move was criticised by the special court, but many saw the criticism as aimed more at Lalit than Grover, since the latter entered the case at a later stage.
On 8 February the head of CBI’s Delhi branch, Gagandeep Gambhir, wrote to Grover, expressing concern over the delay in filing appeals against the trial court orders.
The same evening, Grover wrote back to Gambhir, accusing the agency of dilly-dallying on the appeals.
“I regret to inform you that neither has anybody (CBI officers) turned up at my office to brief me in the matter, nor has anybody given me any comments on the judgments either,” Grover told Gambhir.
In his letter, Grover also took exception to what he said was the CBI letter being “leaked” even before it reached him.
Shocking “Judgement” of 2 G SCAM after 7 years ??? Dug up the hill and found ‘dead mouce’ ? Who is to be blamed for all loss of public money and time of Learned Lawyers and Honourable Judges ; NO ACCOUNTABILITY at the highest level of Government and/or court system in India. If 2G Scam case is screwed up , heads must roll. And why delay in filing appeal to higher court? If 90 days is time-limit, delaying till last day can be FATAL , so many obstacles are waiting to spoil the broth (for so many cooks). Who is in charge of appointing new team, can CBI or Government replace SPP appointed by Supreme Court ?
So many learned Supreme Court Lawyers object that and confuse the court and appeal process can stop, 90 days not enough to rectify the mess…. and case can be dismissed AGAIN….then go to still higher court and everybody will be enjoying LOOT money. In short…. hill mill ke khaoji. Ji… Ji .
The supreme Court pool of Amicus Curies are a bunch either affiliated to political parties or the shadow NGO’s.
There is always a talk on appointment of Judges but there is hardly a transperant process in the selection of Amicus Curie. Most of those selected donot recuse citing conflict of interest and use their position to dilate the cases. By appointing such persons as SPP , The SC gets into the webbed knots of the system and becomes a party answerable to the public for the profound delay in cases like 2G. Instead of appointing Amicus Curie with enormous powers to scuttle the case there should be a Three member bench of the SC giving directions to such appointed Lawyers and prepare the follow-up on a weekly basis.
Do not give us the rope saying all of them are honourable. Let SC prescribe
a minimum time to complete the Judicial Process. Take the case of PNB scam. Both RBI and the Finance Ministry is fully represented in the Board of all PSU Banks. All actions of the PNB board is appended by RBI.
Instead blaming RBI, it is prudent to put the blame on the individuals representing RBI in PNB board during that time when the fraud was exposed by the whistle blower. The media goes overboard when a political leader asserts a defeat into a moral Victory, all institutions thus becomes defunct.
While trials in the 2 G and coal allocation cases should proceed, to decide on innocence or guilt of the public servants and private beneficiaries, it is heartening that the allotments themselves have been rescinded by the apex court, nullifying losses caused to the public exchequer. Unfortunately, that is not the case in respect of losses caused to PSBs by men like Vijay Mallya and, now Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi and countless others. The long delays inherent in our judicial system end up helping wrong doers, so the greater priority should be to recover as much as is possible from loans that have gone bad.