The Indian government has given its consent to Supreme Court oversight of a probe into the 2G spectrum scandal.
In a hearing yesterday, lawyers for the government told the Supreme Court it had no objection to allowing the bench to observe a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), IANSreported.
But the court has challenged the authority of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) chief P J Thomas, the country's anti-corruption overseer, to lead the CBI investigation, ETsaid. CBI is a part of the CVC.
Thomas faces a potential conflict of interest as telecom secretary at the time of the 2008 spectrum allocation, the bench said. He may be replaced as head of the agency while the investigation goes ahead.
The court is also monitoring the issue of leaked conversations between PR rep Nira Radia and members of the industry and government, recorded as part of the investigation.
The tapes allegedly reveal Radia lobbying for the re-election of former telecom minister A Raja and possibly brokering for some 2G deals.