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Supreme Court stays proceedings in all 2G cases in Delhi HC 

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the proceedings on all petitions relating to the 2G spectrum allocation scam, pending before the Delhi High Court, on a CBI plea. 

“All proceedings pending before the Delhi High Court shall remain stayed,” said a Bench of justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan. 

In its plea, the CBI cited a Supreme Court order of April 11, 2011, which had directed that no court other than the Supreme Court shall entertain any application relating to the case. 

The court was informed that there were 20 petitions or applications pending before the High Court after the filing of the charge sheets in the 2G case. 

The Bench issued notices and sought replies of various parties within six weeks on the CBI application. 

The Supreme Court had expressed its displeasure on November 8, 2012 that the Delhi High Court was hearing the matter relating to the 2G spectrum scam despite its order restraining courts below it from adjudicating issues linked to the case. 

“Despite injunction the Delhi High Court has entertained petition relating to the 2G spectrum case. It is very surprising on the part of the behaviour of the high court,” the court had said. 

CBI counsel K.K. Venugopal had said the bench can pass an order and stay such proceedings. 

The Bench said an application can be filed by the CBI so that it can give a clear-cut order. “We will hear your application,” it had said. 

“We will make it clear that no court will entertain any petition (on the 2G case),” the bench had said after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who is representing Essar Group in the case against them, sought clarification on the injunction. 

Rohatgi had said the legal right available to the affected parties cannot be taken away and one such right was to approach the High Court. 

He had said it was for Parliament to make or amend laws and the legal rights available cannot be denied. 

“We cannot say anything for Parliament to amend laws. Law making is in their domain,” the bench had observed. — PTI

Respond aggressively to Opposition's 'false propaganda',
Sonia tells partymen

SURAJKUND (HARYANA): Asking partymen to gear up for the next Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused its opponents of attempting to grab power at any cost and called for an aggressive response to their "false propaganda". 

Noting that about 18 months were left for the next parliamentary polls, Gandhi told a "dialogue meeeting" of top party leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here that the party should strive hard to meet the challenge. 

Gandhi, who is also the UPA chairperson, said that though "we are facing very difficult challenges", it is a fact that "we have a record of excellent achievements in the past eight years and we are proud of our commitment to the interest of the common man. This commitment is our dharma." 

She said that the party-led government has changed the face of India through "unparalleled programmes and laws". 

"Our detractors and the opposition are bent upon spreading disinformation on political, moral and policy issues," she said. 

"We have to respond aggressively to their false propaganda. We know that in reality their intention is to grab power at any cost, notwithstanding the fact that their greed could weaken democracy, equality, sovereignty and secular values," she said. 

Gandhi was addressing the day-long meeting of Congress top brass, including Cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge, congress working committee (CWC) members and permanent invitees to CWC. 

The exercise, also being attended by Rahul Gandhi, is the first of its kind with the Congress chief telling the top party brass that the interaction between the party and the government should not be limited to such meetings. — PTI

Kejriwal now targets alleged Swiss bank account holders

NEW DELHI: Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that brothers Mukhesh and Anil Ambani and Congress MP Annu Tandon, among others, have crores of rupees deposited in banks in Switzerland. He said this was based on a list of 10 account holders in HSBC bank in Geneva that was passed on to him by a senior Congress leader that was later cross-checked by a team of his India Against Corruption (IAC) organisation.

"In July 2011, the Indian Government received a list of roughly 700 people having bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva. The list contains bank balances of these people in 2006. These names are also part of the list," said Kejriwal during a press conference here.

The list named the Ambani brothers as having Rs 100 crore each, Congress Unnao MP Tandon of having Rs 125 crore, including another Rs 125 crore in name of her deceased husband Sandeep Tandon and Jet Airways chairman Naresh Kumar Goyal of having Rs 80 crore.

Three brothers who own Dabur have Rs 25 crores in Swiss banks, while Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani have accounts with zero balance, Kejriwal alleged in the conference, also addressed by his associate Prashant Bhushan.

"Our sources told us Mukhesh Ambani had come to the finance ministry when the list of 700 Swiss account holders were provided to India. He told the finance ministry 'we are prepared to pay the tax to buy peace and no raids should be conducted'," said Kejriwal.

According to Kejriwal, the present CBI director once said more than Rs 25,00,000 crore of ill-gotten Indian money was stashed abroad while the Indian government said that an amount of Rs 6,000 crore is deposited in Swiss banks.

He said even as black money was a big threat to India's economic sovereignty, the union government was trying to shield its perpetrators. "Indian government seems to be more interested in helping the guilty rather than punishing them."

Kejriwal said the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had even planned an amnesty for all the 700 Swiss account holders. He also demanded strict action against HSBC bank for encouraging kidnapping, corruption and terrorism in the country.

"Like America, we should enact a law that makes it mandatory for foreign banks operating in the country to furnish a list of all account holders to the income tax department," he said, asking the thousands of HSBC bank employees to quit their jobs. — IANS

Diageo to pay over $2 billion for 53.4% stake in United Spirits

HONK KONG: HONG KONG: Diageo Plc has agreed to buy a 53.4% stake in liquor baron Vijay Mallya's United Spirits Ltd for more than $2 billion, according to an internal memo related to the deal obtained by Reuters. 

The purchase marks the biggest inbound Indian M&A deal since British oil firm Cairn Energy Plc's agreed to sell a majority stake in its Indian business to Vedanta Resources Plc last year. The Diageo deal concludes an on-again, off-again courtship that began in 2008. 

The purchase would ramp up Diageo's presence in the world's largest whisky market, while Mallya will gain much-needed cash to reduce United Spirit's debt although it may not be enough to revive his grounded Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. 
The two companies said in September that they were in talks about a possible deal. — Reuters

Nitish Kumar in Pak on goodwill tour

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left for a weeklong trip to Pakistan during which he hopes to visit Indus Valley Civilisation sites Harappa and Mohenjodaro, an official said. 

Nitish Kumar, who will be visiting Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore during the goodwill visit, has left for New Delhi and will leave for Pakistan from there. He heads an 11 member delegation of ministers and officials in the Nov 9-16 visit, an official in the chief minister's office said. 

"Nitish Kumar is keen to visit the sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation, Mohenjodaro and Harappa, during the trip," he added. 

A Pakistani delegation had visited Bihar in August and extended Nitish Kumar an invitation on behalf of Pakistani Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. 

This is only Nitish Kumar's fourth visit abroad in his seven years as chief minister. He visited Mauritius in his first tenure in 2008. In his second tenure, he visited Bhutan and China to explore investments and promote tourism in Bihar.