Overruling Centre’s objections, senior advocate U U Lalit was today appointed by the Supreme Court as special public prosecutor for the trial in 2G case involving former Telecom Minister A Raja and others ending uncertainty on the issue.

A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly directed the government to issue a notification for the appointment of Lalit for the trial in the multi-crore scam, in which top corporate honchos, bureaucrats and telecom firms are also involved.

The bench directed the special court, exclusively set up for holding the trial of the 2G spectrum case, to hold day-to-day trial without any adjournment.

The court also restrained all other courts from entertaining any petition or application in the case and said that it has to be filed before it.

The bench, after passing the order, adjourned the matter for April 26 after the CBI informed it that supplementary charge sheet will be filed in the case by April 24 relating to bribery.

“We make it clear that day-to-day trial will be conducted without any adjournment and no court shall entertain any petitions or applications relating to this case except this court,” the bench said.

The apex court said that Mr Lalit will be at liberty to choose his team of prosecutors from the panel of advocates working for the CBI.

The Centre had raised objections to Mr Lalit’s appointment saying that he should have worked under the State or the Union government for at least seven years to be eligible as the case has been filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Senior advocate Mr K K Venugopal, appearing for the CBI and the ED, had submitted that Mr Lalit had been in the lawyer’s panel for the Maharashtra government and the Centre for 15 years and five years respectively and he fulfilled the criteria.

But Attorney General Mr G E Vahanvati had submitted that being in the panel was not sufficient and one should be government’s standing counsel for seven years.

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