New Delhi:
Former Telecom Minister A Raja will get to know on May 15 if can walk out of Delhi's Tihar Jail. A court hearing his bail plea reserved its order today. Mr Raja has been in jail for more than a year; he was arrested in February 2011 for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam.
Mr Raja's lawyer had moved an application for bail on May 9. He argued that because evidence in the case rests in documents that have already been submitted to the court, there is no risk of Mr Raja being able to tamper with it if he is allowed to leave prison. In the court today, he reiterated this stand and also cited court orders granting bail to other accused in the case. Interestingly, he also mentioned other similar cases, like the CWG scam, where accused like Suresh Kalmadi have been granted bail.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) opposed Mr Raja's bail saying if he is allowed to leave jail, he might influence the trial and also witnesses who are yet to depose before the court. "He misused his position as the Telecom Minister. He is the main accused in the scam," the CBI counsel argued in court.
Mr Raja has been accused by the CBI of selling licenses for mobile networks and accompanying frequency at clearance rates, costing the country thousands of crores. These licenses were given in 2008 by Mr Raja to companies that he allegedly pushed to the front of a long line of applicants.
Mr Raja belongs to the DMK, which has suffered heavy casualties in the telecom or 2G scam. DMK chief K Karunanidhi's daughter, M Kanimozhi, was also jailed last year; she is accused of helping Mr Raja allegedly route a kickback from a telecom company to a TV channel co-owned by her in Chennai. Ms Kanimozhi, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, was granted bail in December last.
Of the 19 accused in the scam, Mr Raja is the only person who has not been granted bail so far. Former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura was given bail by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. RK Chandolia, the third government servant charge-sheeted in the scam, is also out on bail. Mr Raja has been accused of criminal breach of trust by a public servant - if found guilty, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment.