Karan Thapar interview with Dr. Subramanian Swamy

Thapar: Let’s come to some of the anomalies of the situation. We are all praising the way the Supreme Court has reached out and brought people to justice or is beginning the process. But there are some anomalies. For instance, if three top people from Reliance are arrested and jailed, is it odd that Anil Ambani is not touched at all?

Swamy: It’s not odd because it’s a question of sequencing. I think our judicial system has a capacity. We have many chargesheets coming and it’s not necessary that they should be in the first chargesheet or second chargesheet. I think the evidence gets built when you start putting the people who did the nitty-gritty of the operations and then get evidence from them. I think it will lead to a situation and I am 100% certain that Mr Anil Ambani and Mr Tata will see the insides of a jail.
Thapar: You are sure of that?
Swamy: I am absolutely certain.
Thapar: It’s so important things that I am going to repeat it, it will lead to a situation where you are 100% certain that Anil Ambani and Ratan Tata will see the inside of a jail.
Swamy: Yes.
Thapar: Not as visitors, but as people who are arrested?
Swamy: Certainly not as visitors, maybe you as visitor, but not them.
Thapar: Let me quote to you what Prashant Bhushan said in the Supreme Court yesterday and I am quoting from today’s Times of India, “How is it possible in a situation where Reliance’s finances over Rs 1,000 crore in Swan and it is hived off to Shahid Balwa’s firm and only three paid employees of Reliance were involved? The person, who is the Chairman of the company, holds the key to investigation into the Swan-Reliance muddle.” Prashant Bhushan was arguing in the Supreme Court that in fact Anil Ambani on these grounds should be arrested. How do you respond to that?
Ranina: I won’t say with any certainty. But I think there is a strong possibility. As far as Ratan Tata is concerned, I think maybe it’s a separate issue because he is more involved in so many other matters and one has to prove that he was privy to the decision that was taken for such type of investment. So, it’s a matter of fact, it’s a matter of going into the evidence.
Thapar: If I understand you correctly, you are saying it’s a strong possibility in the case of Anil Ambani. You are not so sure in the case of Ratan Tata. Have I summed you up correctly?
Ranina: Yes, that’s right.