New Delhi, Feb 2: Dismissing the view that the Supreme Court's judgement cancelling 122 2G licences was an indictment, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today said the government will move forward in the issue after regulator TRAI make its recommendations.
“There is no indictment of the Prime Minister or the then Finance Minister (P Chidambaram) in the Supreme Court's judgement. If there is any indictment it is the 2003 policy (first-come, first-serve) of the NDA government and we only followed it,” he told a press conference shortly after the Supreme Court judgement on the issue.
The government will abide by the judgement that spectrum should be auctioned which, he said, the ministry has done by delinking spectrum from the licence in 2011 after he took over.
He said the UPA only followed the policy of the NDA government of FCFS, which has been declared discriminatory by the apex court.
The BJP, therefore, must apologise to the nation from the nation for causing huge loss to the government.
Asked about the implications of the judgement on the companies like Telenor of Norway and Sistema of Russion who have pumped huge money to roll out services, the minister said any agrieved corporate can approach the court for relief.
The confusion has been removed and clarity has been brought in the sector and this help in getting investments in the important sector.
While blaming the NDA for the 2003 policy which the UPA implemented, he sought to shift blame on irregularities in the manner in which it was implemented on the then telecom minister A Raja.
“The Supreme Court has clearly said that the then minister (Raja) did not heed to the good advise of both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Finance Ministry,” Sibal said.
