2G scam case: From scandal to acquittal, the story in 10 numbers

From zero to Rs 1.76 lakh crore, here's the story of the 2G case verdict, in just ten numbers.

IndiaToday.in  | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, December 21, 2017 | UPDATED 16:13 IST

Highlights

  • 1
    All accused in 2G case acquitted
  • 2
    Accused included top DMK leaders
  • 3
    Congress claimed moral win, BJP said order not proof of innocence

All the accused in the 2G spectrum case were acquitted by a CBI Special Court this morning, prompting the Congress to claim a moral victory and delighting leaders and cadre of its UPA partner, M Karunanidhi's DMK.  

Union Minister Arun Jaitey, however, said the order wasn't proof of the Manmohan Singh-led government's innocence. According to the Supreme Court, the first-come-first-served 2G policy was arbitrary and corrupt, Jaitley said.

Manmohan Singh, on his part, said there had been "vicious propaganda" against his government.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2G case verdict, and the case itself, in just ten numbers.

0 - Kapil Sibal, who headed the telecom ministry after Andimuthu Raja's resignation, came up with the "zero loss" theory in 2011. He said no or zero loss was caused by distributing 2G licenses on a first-come-first-served basis.  

1 - The number of lines in which Judge OP Saini spoke in court while delivering the 2G case verdict. "The prosecution has miserably failed to prove its case, and all accused are acquitted," he said. The actual judgement, obviously, is much longer.

READ | The highlights of Judge OP Saini's judgement

2 - The position at which Time magazine ranked the 2G spectrum case in a list of top abuses of power. What was first? Former US President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal - yes, the one that lent the "gate" suffix to tons of others: Emailgate, Panamagate, Russiagate, and so on.

3 - The actual number of cases that the '2G case' refers to. One was filed by the Enforcement Directorate (which will now appeal against the Patiala House Court's verdict) and two were filed by the CBI.

8 -The alleged 2G scam was in the news for the first time in May 2009, more than eight years ago. It was then that the Central Vigilance Commission instructed the CBI to investigate irregularities in 2G spectrum allocation. The first FIR was filed later that year against unknown officials of the A Raja-headed Telecom department. The CBI filed its chargesheet against Raja and others in 2011, a year after the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report came. That report, which was presented in the Supreme Court and tabled in Parliament, said the notional loss caused by 2G spectrum allegation was several lakhs of crores. The CBI's estimate was far more conservative (More on this below). The Enforcement Directorate filed its chargesheet against Raja and others (in a parallel investigation of alleged money laundering) in 2014.

19 - The total number of accused in the 2G case. They include Raja and DMK MLA Kanimozhi, the daughter of party chief Karunanidhi.

122 - In 2012, the Supreme Court cancelled these many licenses, which A Raja issued to eight companies: Idea Cellular, Unitech, Swan Telecom, Sistema, Loop Mobile, Videocon, Tata Teleservices Maharashtra, and S-Tel.

2,00,00,00,000 - Or Rs 200 crore. The amount the Enforcement Directorate said Swan Telecom's promoters allegedly paid to Kalaignar TV, a television channel owned by M Karunanidhi's family.

3,09,84, 00,00,000 - Or Rs 30,984 crore. That's the loss the 2G spectrum allocations caused to the country, according to the CBI's calculations.

17,63,79,00,00,000 - Or Rs 1.76 lakh crore, the notional loss the Comptroller and Auditor General said the alleged 2G spectrum scam had caused to the state exchequer.

(Inputs from PTI)

WATCH | Manmohan Singh reacts on 2G scam verdict, alleges 'vicious propaganda' against his government