Sardha scam: SC issues notice to Airtel, Vodafone on CBI''s plea for call records

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 29

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on CBI’s plea accusing telecom service providers Vodafone and Airtel of not sharing call detail records (CDRs) of certain mobile numbers, including those of Saradha Group directors Sudipta Sen and Debjani Mukherjee.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi asked the two companies to respond by April 8.

On behalf of Vodafone, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi countered the allegations, saying “everything has already been handed over.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta alleged there was absolute “anarchy and lawlessness” in West Bengal. He recalled the recent incident of the state police harassing custom officials at the Kolkata Airport for attempting to check the luggage of the wife of TMC MP Abhishek Bannerjee who happens to be Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee’s nephew.

Senior counsel AM Singhvi, representing the state government, took exception to Mehta’s statement and accused him of feeding the media under the garb of making submissions.

Accusing Airtel and Vodafone of not providing call detail records (CDRs) of certain mobile numbers in connection with Shardha chit fund scam, the CBI had on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the two telecom majors to share it with the probe agency.

In its application filed in the top court on Wednesday, the CBI submitted that “till date, despite repeated requests of the Applicant (CBI) and despite the specific direction of the Government of India, the Service Providers have not shared the information as sought…”

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday termed as “very very serious” the allegations levelled by the CBI in its status report filed in a sealed cover on interrogation of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who had once headed the state police SIT on Saradha chit fund scam probe.

The top court had said it could not “close its eyes” if some “very very serious facts” were disclosed to it and as the CBI to file an application seeking appropriate relief/action against Kumar, who had once headed the state police SIT on Saradha chit fund scam probe. Giving 10 days to the CBI to file the application, it had asked Kumar and others respond to the plea in seven days and ordered that the matter be posted for hearing after that.

The agency—which is probing the Sardha chit fund scam on the orders of the Supreme Court—accused the two telecom service providers of being “surprisingly evasive in sharing the information.” The phone numbers and the period for which CDRs have been asked for by the CBI were actually requested to be shared by the West Bengal Police which initially probe the scam.

The Bench had on Tuesday also refused to discharge West Bengal Chief Secretary and Director General of Police in a contempt case filed against them and the former Kolkata Police Commissioner by the CBI for allegedly obstructing the probe into the Sardha chit fund scam.

The top court is seized of a contempt petition filed by the CBI against senior officials of the West Bengal government, including the Chief Secretary, DGP and former Kolkata police chief for allegedly obstructing its probe into the chit fund scam and destroying evidence.