Backed By Supreme Court Order, Government Says Will Target Devas Assets
NDTV
The Supreme Court has given a comprehensive verdict upholding the liquidation of Devas, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said
The government will use the Supreme Court order calling the 2005 deal between ISRO's commercial arm Antrix and privately-owned Devas Multimedia a fraud to counter seizure of its properties, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday as she launched a blistering attack on the Congress for handing over airwaves used by the defence to the private firm for pittance.
"It is a fraud of Congress, by Congress (and) for Congress," the minister told reporters as she read out paragraphs from the Supreme Court's January 17 decision allowing winding up of Devas because of the fraud.
Antrix — the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) — entered into an agreement with Devas for providing multimedia services to mobile users, for which it was given a rare S-band satellite spectrum without the knowledge of the Union Cabinet, she said. The Congress took six years to cancel the deal and the then government did not initiate steps to fight the arbitration proceedings the private company brought against the cancellation, she added.
The Congress-led UPA did not cite national security to fight the arbitrations brought by Devas, Ms Sitharaman said and called the party "master of corruption".
