Delhi HC to pronounce order on Tuesday on plea for early hearing in appeal against acquittal of accused in 2G case

The Delhi High Court will pronounce order on Tuesday on the plea of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) for early hearing in the appeal against the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G case.

A single-judge bench of Justice Brijesh Sethi is set to pronounce order in the matter. The court had last week reserved the order after all the parties concluded their arguments.

All the respondents in the matter including former Telecom Minister A Raja and businessman Shahid Balwa had strongly opposed the application of the CBI and ED for early hearing in the 2G appeal case in Delhi High Court.

Advocate Sanjay Jain, Additional Solicitor General (ASG), who appeared for CBI, argued that the matter has a substantial public interest and as the judge who has heard the matter is due to demit his office on November 30 this year, the court may grant an early hearing and hear the matter expeditiously.

Advocate Manu Sharma appearing for A Raja argued that there was no cause to grant an out-of-turn urgent hearing to the appeals moved by CBI and ED amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation agency has only spoken about public interest in their application but has not substantiated the same with arguments, he said.

Advocate Vijay Aggarwal along with Advocate Mudit Jain and Anshul Agarwal representing Shahid Balwa and several others vehemently opposed the application and stated that CBI has not explained as to why the appeal filed by them should be given precedence over appeals against conviction due to which the accused persons are languishing in jail.

Aggarwal also submitted that allowing the application for the early hearing shall be against the interest of justice as the respondents will not be afforded adequate opportunity since the records runs into lakhs of pages.

He said each person will not even get 0.89 days to argue his or her case as the judge is scheduled to demit his office in November. "Justice hurried is justice buried," he added.

Advocate Tarannum Cheema, appearing for Sanjay Chandra, has argued that her client is in Tihar jail in another matter and has not been served with the copy of the application. Other advocates appearing for the respondents in the case also argued that the application is misconceived.

Justice Brijesh Sethi, who is hearing the appeal of ED and CBI against the trial court order which acquitted all the accused in the 2G case, had recently issued notice to all respondents to file reply on the early hearing plea filed by the CBI and ED.

( With inputs from ANI )