Loop Telecom a confederate of fraud: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Thursday termed the Loop Telecom as ‘confederate of fraud’ and ‘beneficiary’ of the UPA era-First Come First Serve Policy
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday termed the Loop Telecom as 'confederate of fraud' and 'beneficiary' of the UPA era-First Come First Serve Policy-saying it was intended to favour a group of private bidding entities at the cost of the public exchequer and dismissed a plea seeking a refund of Rs 1,454 crore paid for 2G spectrum licence.
The top court said that the process leading up to the award of the (Unified Access Service License (UASLs) and the allocation of the 2G spectrum was found to be 'arbitrary and constitutionally infirm' and the contention of the Loop Telecom that it was exculpated from any wrongdoing by the judgement of this Court is patently erroneous.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath, while dismissing the appeal of Loop Telecom said, "Hence, as a beneficiary and confederate of fraud, the appellant (Loop Telecom) cannot be lent the assistance of this Court for obtaining the refund of the Entry Fee. In any event, such a course of action before the TDSAT was clearly in the teeth of the judgement of this Court in CPIL".
It said, "we have come to the conclusion that the appellant was in pari delicto (in equal fault) with Department of Telecom (DoT) and the then officials of the Union government. The appellant was the beneficiary of the First Come First Serve policy -- which was intended to favour a group of private bidding entities at the cost of the public exchequer".
