It took Judge O P Saini just minutes to deliver the verdict on the bail plea of eight accused in 2G Spectrum scam, including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi.
The Central Bureau of Investigation trial courtroom at the Patiala House complex was packed when the judge rejected all eight pleas.
Just before the order was hurriedly handed out, Kanimozhi appeared confident of a positive disposition to the bail plea.
Altaf Ahmed, lawyer for Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV MD and CEO Sharad Kumar, had pleaded before the court that there were 'no further investigations pending against the two accused' and 'that there was no question of them tampering with any documents as they also relied on the documents placed on record by the prosecution'
Kanimozhi's battery of lawyers had also argued that her association with Kalaignar TV existed for a short time only and that 'she had nothing to do with the alleged transaction of Rs 200 crore.'
However, Kanimozhi had a visibly hard time putting up a smile after the verdict was delivered.
The court dismissed Altaf's appeal stating that being a woman Kanimozhi was entitled to special provisions in the dispensing of law.
The court order observed, 'Kanimozhi belongs to the upper echelons of the society and is also a Member of Parliament. By no stretch of imagination she can be said to be suffering from any discrimination on ground of being a woman alone. Accordingly, the benefit of this beneficial provision does not accrue to her.'
The court order observed that all the eight applicants stand accused on serious and grave charges of 'conspiracy to commit forgery, criminal breach of trust, cheating, use of forged documents, receipt and payment of bribe, criminal misconduct and pursuant to the conspiracy, by the misuse of official position by public servants and the two accused companies.'
In Kanimozhi's case, the court order cited former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja's former additional private secretary Aseervatham Achari's statements on the closeness between his boss and Kanimozhi, who said, "On being asked, I state that Ms Kanimozhi was also an active brain behind M/S Kalaignar TV who was also widely covered by the Kalaignar Seithigal channel; She had frequent visits to the camp office of A Raja and once visited his Electronics Niketan office also. Some of the visits/ discussions were in connection with the pending work of Kalaignar TV also. She is very close to A Raja regarding the political work relating to the DMK."
The trial for the 2G scam is now slated to begin on November 11.
No comments:
Post a Comment