NEW DELHI, May 11: Government today said it preferred a Presidential Reference over a review petition on the 2G issue in the Supreme Court after taking a “conscious and professional” decision to withdraw it to seek a Constitution Bench order on the matter.
“We took a conscious professional decision. We are pleased that the court has entertained the Presidential Reference and we hope that this will be an absolutely historic judgement.
“We need a Constitution Bench pronouncement on it. This is what we will now get. Beginning July 10, there will be hearings presumably on a day-to-day basis. And then a judgement pronounced,” Law Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters outside Parliament House.
Justifying the government action in withdrawing its review petition from the Supreme Court, Khurshid said, “We prefer the Presidential Reference. Obviously the Presidential Reference is something that gives far greater expanse to the Supreme Court to give its advice to the President and, therefore, the government.”
He said, “Any rational person would prefer a Presidential Reference… The review’s scope is extremely narrow and limited.
“It would have been unfair that we took it in bits and pieces in the review and not let the entire landscape be available to the Supreme Court. The best way forward in this regard is that of a Presidential Reference,” he said.
The minister refused to speak on the issue of cancellation of 2G licences, saying they already stand cancelled.
He said that the Reference had been sent from the President to the Supreme Court and “it has been decided that there will be hearing on that from July 10.” (PTI)
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