Apex Court reserves verdict on PIL against 4G licences to Reliance

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a PIL filed by an NGO, challenging the grant of 4G licences to Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), with the Centre refuting the allegation of any wrongdoing.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, during the daylong hearing, posed several questions to both the Centre and the NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), on the issue of spectrum usage charge and migration policy.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for CPIL, said the PIL was based on the draft CAG report, which had established that the spectrum for broadband wireless system was only for data and not for voice mail.

Further, he alleged that spectrum bid was a ‘benami’ bid submitted by company named Infotel, which was acquired by Reliance group hours after it had won the 20 MHZ spectrum. Infotel had submitted a bid of Rs 12,000 crore and the company was transfered to Reliance on the day of the bidding, he claimed. However, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Reliance, submitted that the draft CAG report was not correct as somebody had planted information to the CAG.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said there was a policy for migration which was permissible and independent of spectrum.