Post his acquittal by a Special CBI court on Thursday on the 2G scam case, former Telecom Minister A. Raja said instead of giving him his share of credit for bringing in a “revolution” in the telecom sector, public perception was manipulated by vested interests.

“I brought a revolution in the telecom sector. It is not unknown to the history that a person who did a revolution is often termed as a criminal. Vested interests manipulated public perception by leveraging the media and sensationalising fabricated allegations,” Raja said, adding that the massive presumptive loss to the exchequer was all “cooked-up.”

Meanwhile, the CBI said it will take all “necessary legal remedies” as the Special CBI Judge OP Saini exonerated all the 17 accused in the case due to lack of effective evidence.

Raja said whatever decisions he took as the then Telecom Minister was for the benefit of the masses and to make wireless telecom services more affordable and available while adhering to the National Telecom Policy and recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

“I have felt somewhat vindicated all along even prior to this judgment because the beneficial results of my actions are evident to and being enjoyed by the nation’s public, especially the poor,” he said.

‘Courage and confidence’ He said being an advocate himself he had full faith in the judicial system and that is why he cooperated during the trials and did not seek even a day’s adjournment. He also said he had the “courage and confidence” to step into the witness box and gave evidence and offered himself for cross examination by the CBI, which is a rare for criminal trials in India.

“I may note that the learned trial has repeatedly observed that my evidence was cogent, credible and consistent with the official records, in contrast with the evidence of the prosecution witnesses whose evidence has been rejected as untrustworthy,” he added.

Raja also said that the trial judge has held that it is not just a case of the prosecution failing to prove its allegations, but a case where the prosecution case itself was false.

As the verdict was read out in the court, Raja, who was surrounded by his family, wept in the court while welcoming it. Post his arrest in 2011, Raja spent 15 months in jail.

The 2G spectrum scam relates to the allocation of telecom spectrum at dirt-cheap prices, which was pointed out by the then Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai.

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