2G: Court issues notice to Essar-Loop promoters on CBI plea
New Delhi, April 20: The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Essar-Loop promoters on a CBI plea challenging a trial court judgment that acquitted them in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
Justice S.P. Garg issued notice to Essar promoters Anshuman Ruia and Ravi Ruia, Essar Group Director Vikash Saraf, Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan and her husband I.P. Khaitan and three companies and listed the matter for further hearing on May 25.
The Central Bureau of Investigation told the court that the trial court had failed to appreciate the evidence on record which proved that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to cheat the Department of Telecom (DoT) for obtaining spectrum licence.
The agency also said that the special judge -- dealing exclusively with the 2G cases -- failed to appreciate law in proper perspective.
"The evidence on record clearly establishes the offence committed by the accused persons," the plea said.
"The falsity of representation was known not only to (Essar Group Director - Strategy and Planning) Saraf but to all accused persons and it was made with a dishonest intention to deliberately conceal the true ownership and control of the applicant company (Loop Telecom Ltd) and to induce the DoT to issue letters of intent, enter into licence agreements and eventually allocate spectrum to the company," the plea said.
The various adverse observations made by the judge were "highly unwarranted", unjustified and in any case, deserved to be expunged, it said.
On December 21, 2017, the special judge acquitted Essar promoters Anshuman Ruia and Ravi Ruia, Saraf, Khaitan and her husband I.P. Khaitan. The court also let off three companies -- Loop Telecom Pvt Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Tele Holding.
The CBI filed its third charge sheet on December 12, 2011, including the names of Essar promoters, Loop promoters and Saraf, and companies -- Loop Telecom Pvt Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Tele Holding -- and recognised them as accused.
The investigating agency had alleged that they had cheated the DoT by using Loop Telecom as a "front" to secure 2G licences in 2008 in violation of Clause 8 of the Unified Access Service License (UASL) Guidelines.
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Humanity trumps terror: Kashmiri guide saves lives of children of Chhattisgarh tourists
Raipur, Apr 24 (PTI): Risking his own life, a Kashmiri tourist guide saved the lives of children from a group of tourists from Chhattisgarh when terrorists struck in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
Nazakat Ahmad Shah (28) was acting as a guide to a group of 11, four couples and three children, from Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district in Chhattisgarh during their Kashmir trip.
Shah's own cousin was killed in the attack that claimed the lives of 26 persons, he told PTI over phone on Thursday.
Arvind Agrawal, one of the tourists, posted pictures of him and his daughter with Shah on his social media handle and wrote, "You saved our lives by risking your own, we will never be able to repay the debt of Nazakat Bhai." As per his Facebook profile, Agrawal is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha- a youth wing of the BJP.
Besides the Agrawals, families of Kuldeep Sthapak, Shivansh Jain and Happy Wadhavan were part of the group.
Shah sells shawls in Chirmiri town of Chhattisgarh in winter, and therefore knew these families.
"They reached Jammu on April 17 and I received them and took them to Kashmir in two vehicles. I took them to Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and in the last leg we decided to visit Pahalgam," he said.
"Pahalgam was to be the last venue as my village is close by, and I wanted to host them, because Kashmiris have a passion for hospitality," Shah said.
"We reached Baisran around 12:00 noon. My tourists were busy with pony rides and clicking pictures. Around 2 pm I told Lucky (Kuldeep) that we are getting late, so we should go. He replied we will go after clicking some more pictures. While we were talking, we heard gunshots and initially we thought it was the sound of firecrackers.
"Suddenly, we realized it was gunshots. There were thousands of tourists who were running here and there in panic," he said.
"My first concern was the safety of the tourist families. I took Lucky's kid and another child and laid down on the ground. The area was fenced so it was not easy to escape. I noticed a small opening and asked the families to move out through that opening. They asked me to save the children first. I slipped through it with the two kids, and ran towards Pahalgam town," he said.
After depositing the children in a safe place, he returned to the spot and escorted out the others safely. "Thanks to Allah, I took all our 11 guests safely to Pahalgam," Shah said.
Adil Hussain, the son of his maternal uncle, was killed in the terror attack but he could not attend his final rites as he decided to escort the tourists back, he said.
"I knew them (Kuldeep and others) for several years as earlier I used to accompany my father to Chirmiri to sell shawls. I wanted my guests saved even if I did not survive," said Shah, who has two daughters.
Like Agrawal, Sthapak also shared his and his family's pictures with Shah on social media, and hailed him profusely for saving their lives.
"A letter written from the heart to Nazakat Bhai...My brother, the passion and bravery with which you rescued us from there is still echoing in my ears. There was chaos, gunshots, screams and the shadow of death all around. No ordinary person can do that. The humanity you showed by putting your life at stake is beyond words. I will be grateful to you all my life. I can never forget this favor," he wrote in Hindi on his Facebook page.
Sthapak also said he was concerned about Shah's own safety. "People will debate about religion and caste, but who will take care of Nazakat Bhai, who presented the most beautiful example of humanity? The heart becomes restless thinking about this," he said.
Shah picked up his child, sat him on his shoulders and ran 14 km on dangerous hills, Sthapak said.
"Nazakat bhai, you not only saved my life that day, you kept humanity alive. I will never forget you for the rest of my life," he added.
Sthapak's wife is a BJP corporator in Chirmiri town.
नजाकत खान जैसे लोग इंसानियत की मिशाल हैं।
— Dr Monika Singh (@Dr_MonikaSingh_) April 24, 2025
पहलगाम आतंकी हमले में 28 लोगों की मौत हो गई. वहीं इस बीच हमले के दौरान अपनी बहादुरी से 11 लोगों की जान बचाने वाले नज़ाकत अहमद शाह ने आंखों देखी पूरी घटना बयां की है और साथ ही उन्होंने बताया कि कैसे उन्होंने लोगों की जान बचाई... pic.twitter.com/QXxyAmlfPG
