he apex court's order had come on Mittal and Ruia's pleas challenging the special court's March 19 order

by which it had summoned them as accused in the case. Mittal and Ruia did not appear in the court on Monday while former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh, who is also an accused in the case, appeared before it. Senior advocate Harish Salve, who had appeared for Mittal on August 23, had told the court that as per the April 26 interim order of the apex court, the stay on the proceedings before the trial court still continues. The special court had earlier told Mittal and Ruia, who had challenged the trial court's order summoning them as accused in the case, that there was "no stay" on proceedings before it and had warned them that it will go ahead with criminal process if they fail to seek clarification from the Supreme Court on the issue. CBI had also opposed their plea, saying the proceedings had