CBI on Wednesday left it to a Delhi court to take appropriate view on Tina Ambani's plea for exemption from appearance on August 23 as a witness in the 2G spectrum case.
"It is prayed that this court may take an appropriate view in the instant application filed on behalf of Mrs Tina A Ambani deemed fit in the interest of trial of the case," the CBI said in its reply filed before Special Judge O P Saini. The reply was filed by the CBI on the plea of Tina Ambani who had sought exemption from personal appearance on August 23, when she is scheduled to appear in the court as a witness.
Tina Ambani's husband Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani has also been summoned as a prosecution witness in the 2G case and his deposition is scheduled for Thursday. The CBI, in its two-page reply on Tina Ambani's plea, said, "No witness other than Mrs Tina Ambani has been summoned for August 23, 2013." "Moreover, most of the prosecution witnesses in this case now have been examined during trial and only few additional witnesses now called by the prosecution under section 311 CrPC and the investigating officers primarily remain to be examined in the trial," the agency said.
The court, which was scheduled to hear the arguments on the plea on Wednesday, listed it for hearing on Thursday. In her plea, Tina Ambani had said that due to "prior commitments" it would not be possible for her to travel to Delhi on August 23. "I wish to state that owing to prior commitments, it will not be possible for me to travel to Delhi on August 23, 2013. I request your honour (judge) to kindly grant an adjournment for my appearance and fix a new date at any time towards the end of September 2013 or preferably October 2013 at your convenience," she had said, adding that summons dated July 26 has been received by her on August 6.
The CBI, however, had earlier said that Tina Ambani's plea was like "dragging the trial". "We will file our reply. It's like dragging the trial. Earlier Mr Ambani had filed a plea seeking time and now Mrs Ambani is seeking time. We will argue on this," CBI prosecutor K K Goel had said on August 19. Earlier, Anil Ambani, who was scheduled to depose in the court on July 26, had moved a plea for exemption from personal exemption on the grounds that he has "pre-scheduled" business engagements.
The court on July 25 had allowed his plea and had later summoned him for August 22 for recording of statement. The court, on July 19, had allowed CBI's plea to make Anil and Tina Ambani as prosecution witnesses after the agency had said their testimonies may throw light on alleged investment of over Rs 990 crore by his group companies in Swan Telecom, facing trial in the case along with its promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka.
It had said that CBI's plea to summon Ambani, his wife and 11 others as prosecution witnesses was essential for arriving at a just decision in the case.
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