News agency IANS ran an 11-year-old story on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filing its "first chargesheet" in the 2G scam case, which named Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader A Raja as the scam's mastermind.
This was picked up by news outlets such as Business Standard, Zee News, and DNA.
(Note: Swipe right to view all three images.)
An archive of this report can be seen here.
(Source:Business Standard/Screenshot)
However, soon after publication, IANS issued a clarification regarding the story's withdrawal, stating that it was "erroneously released."
The first reports of the chargesheet emerged in April 2011, when the CBI first filed a chargesheet in the case, naming A Raja and 11 others as accused.
What is the 2G scam?
The 2G spectrum auction scam refers to the the alleged irregularities in the allocation of the 2G spectrum licenses to telecommunication companies in India.
When did it happen?
In 2010, Raja stepped down as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, a year after the allegations first surfaced.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) placed the loss due to Raja's policy at 1.76 lakh crore rupees.
The Times of India, The Hindu, and Pune Mirror carried the story in 2011.
Who were the accused?
Apart from Raja, the 8,000-page chargesheet named former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's ex-assistant RK Chandolia, and telecom promoter Shahid Balwa.
Four other individuals – Gautam Doshi, Saurabh Papadiya, Hari Nayar, and Sanjay Chandra – and three companies, namely Reliance ADAG (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group), Unitech Wireless, and Swan Telecom, were also named.
How did it begin?
The incident first came to light in 2009, when a non-governmental organisation 'Telecom Watchdog' submitted complaints to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) alleging irregularities in the allocation of the spectrum, according to Mint.
Later that year, the CBI filed its first First Information Report (FIR) against "unknown officers" of the Department of Technology (DoT), and people from various private companies, and on 2 April 2011, it filed its first charge sheet.
How did the case end?
In December 2017, a special CBI court acquitted all 17 accused in the case, which included Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
The same incident, which is over 11 years old, was published as recent news by the media houses.
While the media outlets that published the story have since taken it down – with some exceptions – none have issued a clarification for the retraction.
(With inputs from Mint and NDTV.)
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