Shyamal Ghosh, IAs official of Gujarat cadre was known to be not only honest but also efficient officer. He proved his ability to think far ahead of times in various assignments in handled in Gujarat and also at centre after he was brought to serve the central government. No one could believe that he would ever transgress the limits of legality and province of rules. In fact he was instrumental in converting the expansion of telecom sector as instrument of social development and not to be turned into a source of state revenue only.

The telecom sector opened for private sector by the Narsimha Rao government in 1993 as a part of economic reforms package. But the government followed the prevailing norms of earning revenue from it. The department extracted huge license fees for the spectrum route allocation. Even then it did not satisfy the opposition and it hurled accusation of corruption against lower license fees. But heavy burden of licensing needs slowed down growth of the mobile services as few could afford its burden. Five years later, the mobile service providers mounted a campaign for reduction in license fees. Even Pranav Mukherji wrote to the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2001 to consider the plea for burden reduction. The Vajpayee government was in dilemma as the party had also hurled accusations of corruption. Shyamal Ghosh saw in mobile services the potential for social development with far flung areas connected to the main stream if services can be brought in ranges affordable to middle class.. Pramod Mahajan saw the potential and convinced Vajpayee to dispense off with licensing regime to be replaced by the revenue sharing concept. Their argument had weight. If mobile services could expand at a rapid pace due to its affordability, it would enhance revenue of firms and consequently government incomes as its share.

Their gamble paid off dividends beyond all expectations. In five years, mobile services spread out in the country and by a decade more than 1100 million connections were operating. More over it brought to an end corruption of both political influence and monetary transfers for obtaining a phone connection. The need to wait in line ended as connection was available on line.

The telecom Authority turned it into an instrument available to even poor. An young women helper in families in Delhi or Mumbai could converse with her parents in remote Assam or Jharkhand as the STD rates were slashed to level of a local call. The vegetable seller could expand business to include home delivery. Public vehicle could be summoned by stranded passengers in remote and inaccessible parts of city.

The Comptroller and Auditor General did not see role and utility of telecom in rapid social development. He calculated loss of revenue to extent of Rs. 1.75 lakh crore due to use of politi9cal discretion rather than auction of 2 G spectrum in 2010. In other words he suggested that the government should use the spectrum as revenue earner and allow open play ground to money purses to grab services with higher bids. No business venture would run on its money. It always ends up earning from clients and more through monopolistic practices. The political institutions have to keep economic institutions to all and not turn into exclusive domains for haves only. Regardless of irregularities in allocations by an individual, use of political discretion with more transparency was called for.

However the government could not meet the storm raised by accusations of scam in allocation of spectrum. The opposition was crippling the government as its politics. But the government stood crippled by its own lack of political mind. The Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the then Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh or the telecom minister Kapil Sibal could not meet the challenge with political logic as none of three was product of a political mill that gives political understanding. Kapil Sibal was picked up not because of political acumen but due prominence acquired as an efficient lawyer. Political arena was not a court. it needs solid and substantive logic to convince. The three did not have.

The finance minister Arun Jaitley now accuses that Kapil Sibal was instrumental in raking up a scandal out of thin air but through use of the official in Central Bureau of Investigation. Attempt was made even to drag the late Pramod Mahajan to the court for his involvement in decision of 2002. It is for Kapil Sibal to meet his accusations but the special court held that the CBI was misused to implicate the upright and honest official.

If charge of Jaitley is correct, it brings in question the morality of politics. But the court verdict has certainly bared the Cseazer’s wife for the Central Bureau of Investigation enjoyed, rightly or wrongly the image of Cseaser’s wife, not only honest but also appear to be honest and upright institution. Politicians of every ideology and hue virtually always demanded entry of CBI in every political scandal. However the senor officials showed complete lack of interest in or awareness of its senior official fabricating a case to serve a political end. If they were ignorant, it does not speak well of them as it shows their incompetence. Their disregard shows lack of morality and integrity. Their silence proves their complicity in serving the political boss of the day. This is not assumption. It is the court verdict and the CBI would find to live it down.