BY BISHESHWAR MISHRA
NEW DELHI: The government on Friday said that It had done nothing wrong in investigating Nira Radia conversation with TATA and others.
The government told the Supreme Court that the probe into lobbyist Nira Radia’s activities began after a complaint that she was an agent of foreign intelligence agencies and working against India’ s interest.
Government conveyed to the Supreme Court in response to Tata chief Ratan Tata petition relating to the Nira Radia tapes require investigation.
Additional Director General Of Income Tax (investigation) Sushil Kumar who filed affidavit on behalf of the government said that the process of tapping Radia’s phone began on August 19, 2008 after a complaint received by the Finance Minister on November 16, 2007.
The complaint had alleged that Radia in a span of just nine years built up a business empire worth Rs. 300 crore.
"15 telephone lines including cell phones and SMSs of Radia and her associates were intercepted after the finance minister in November 2007 had received a complaint that the lobbyist had within a short span of nine years built up a business empire worth Rs. 300 crore and she was an agent of foreign intelligence agencies and was indulging in anti-national activities." Said that the affidavit states.
5800 phone calls were tapped during two periods: 120 days in 2008 and 60 days during 2009in joint initiative by the Finance Ministry and the Home Ministry on the issue.
The government is also understood to have taken a stand that the publication of Tata’s conversation with Radia is an issue between the media and the petitioner.
The apex court had issued notices on December 2 to the Union Home Secretary, the Union Finance Ministry, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the Income Tax Department on Tata’s plea seeking probe into the leakage of audio tapes of his telephonic conversation with Radia.
The court had also issued notices to the Outlook and Open magazines which had published parts of transcripts of the taped conversation. It had given ten days to all respondents to file their reply and had posted the case for hearing on December 13.
Meanwhile Radia’s firm, Vaishnavi Corporate Communications, has denied these allegations, saying she has never indulged in anti-national activities
