More than Spectrum, grave issues concerning National security figure in the Nira Radia tapes, said the Supreme Court on Friday and asked the Centre to report by Tuesday on the feasibility of transcribing all tapes of intercepted conversation Radia had with politicians, bureaucrats, corporate honchos and middlemen.
A team of CBI sleuths and Income Tax officials had submitted a report earlier to the Court raising eight instances where criminality was made out. The Bench of Justices GS Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda informed the CBI and Centre that it intended to pass orders for proceeding investigation into the eight cases. Besides, the Court asked the CBI and IT department to present a time-frame by when the remaining conversations contained in Radia tapes could be transcribed and investigated upon.
Hinting at what the conversations contained, the bench told Additional Solicitor Generals Paras Kuhad (for CBI) and lN Rao (for IT department), “You have to be very cautious on the issues discussed in the report. It is extremely serious. There is nothing which is to be hidden except those portions related to security of the nation.”
The Court said so far it had seen only one part of the tapes and so was of the view that Radia tapes were only about Spectrum. “(But) Here new issues are getting cropped up. There is actual money paid,” the Bench said, adding there are also issues like recalling Member of Railway Board and functioning of a particular department being under serious cloud.
The Court also found it surprising how the IT department sat on explosive conversations without filing an FIR or initiating inquiry. Posting the matter for Tuesday, Court asked CBI officials to suggest a definite time-frame needed to transcribe all conversations in the tapes. Court also warned law officers to ensure that no conversation got leaked till there was substance to prove the charges.