The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is planning to seek clarification from the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding whether levying a penalty on Loop Telecom – for the alleged violation of the licencing norms – would amount to interference with the ongoing criminal proceedings against promoters of the company in the 2G case.
According to DoT, Loop Telecom, whose 21 licences were cancelled following a Supreme Court order in February 2012 in the 2G case, was ineligible for receiving the licences in the first place. DoT claims that the promoter of Loop Telecom, Essar Group held more than the 10 per cent permissible stake in the operator at the time of submission of application for the licences in 2008.
Earlier, DoT had sought the opinion of the additional solicitor general on the issue, who suggested that the DoT should not be issuing a show-cause notice to Loop Telecom as its licences had been cancelled and the operator has already shut down its operations. However, the additional solicitor general suggested that the DoT may impose a penalty on Loop Telecom by evoking a relevant penalty clause as per the unified licence agreement.
