New Delhi, May 20: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP & daughter of M Karunanidhi. The court also rejected the bail plea of Kalaignar TV chief Sharad Kumar, named as co-conspirators in the 2G spectrum scam.
The CBI had named Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi , and Sharad Kumar as co-conspirators in its April 25 supplementary charge sheet after it traced an illegal money trail of Rs 214 crore in the scam.
Kanimozhi, clad in an orange salwar-kurta, looked calm as she entered the Patiala House Court complex accompanied by her husband Aravindan.
Earlier in the day, when the special judge said the order would “take some time and come after 1 p.m.”, Kanimozhi and Kumar looked relieved.
The 2G spectrum scam relates to irregularities in the allocation of airwaves to telecom companies that caused huge losses to the exchequer.
DMK MP and former communications minister A. Raja is already in jail in connection with the case.
Present in the courtroom Friday were former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, Raja’s aide R.K. Chandolia, Vinod Goenka of Swan Telecom and Sanjay Chandra of Unitech.
Two officials of ADAG, Gautam Doshi and Hari Nair, who were also named in the charge sheet, were present in the courtroom.
Cineyug Film’s Karim Morani was not present as he got exemption from personal appearance due to his ill health, while Surendra Pipara of Reliance, who is in judicial custody, was not presented in the court as he is undergoing treatment for a heart problem at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The CBI, which is looking into the 2G scam , had earlier opposed the bail plea of Kanimozhi, saying she was aware of all irregularities.
The agency also claimed that Kanimozhi lobbied for A Raja to become a Union Cabinet minister.
The CBI also argued that Asif Balwa, who is the director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd was the front man in the entire scam.
The agency further presented before the court, details of the Rs 200 crore transactions by the Kalaignar TV.
The CBI said that a total number of 16 bank accounts were used in the transactions. The money first came from DB Realty to Kusegaon. It then went to Cineyug Film Company from where it was routed to Kalaignar TV.
Kanimozhi has been named as co-conspirator in CBI’s second chargesheet in the scam.
Kanimozhi, 43, has been charged under Sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The chargesheet said the investigation into the case disclosed that money had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV.
The supplementary chargesheet filed by the investigating agency has also named as co-accused Sharad Kumar of Kalaignar TV, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, and Asif Balwa and Rajiv B Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.
The others, who have been arrested so far in connection with this case are former Telecom Minister A Raja, his personal secretary RK Chandolia and former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behuria.
–Agencies