A Raja, a trained lawyer, defended himself in court in 2G case and even cross-examined witnesses.
In emotional words, former telecom minister A Raja of the DMK, acquitted by a Delhi court on Thursday in the 2G case, has thanked his party chief M Karunanidhi for his support and has said he is waiting "to hear your words."
"I place the 2G verdict at your feet with gratitude. You preserved me in snow so I wouldn't dissolve in the spectrum battle," writes A Raja, once the powerful Dalit face of the DMK. The 54-year-old has spent most part of the last decade in political exile, shrouded by the allegation that he masterminded a massive scam, allotting airwaves and second generation or 2G licences at throwaway prices to cellphone networks in exchange for kickbacks. The national auditor has said the "2G scam" may have cost the exchequer 1.76 lakh crore. Mr Raja was arrested in 2011 and spent almost a year in jail.
Acquitting all those accused in the case, a trial court said yesterday that "a huge scam was seen by everyone where there was none." The judge said in a packed courtroom, " I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its well-choreographed charge-sheet."
A Raja was arrested in 2011 in the 2G Spectrum case.
Mr Raja, a trained lawyer who defended himself in court and even cross-examined witnesses, has said in his letter to his 93-year-old boss, "Who will punish those who tainted your 80 year public life? The spectrum attack tainted an ideological movement (the DMK). Spectrum politics gave a handle to those who couldn't shrink your governance."
M Karunanidhi was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu when the 2G allegations struck the party. Struggling with the 2G taint, the DMK lost the 2011 assembly elections to J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK and was also wiped out in the 2014 national election. Another big blow followed in the assembly elections last year, when Ms Jayalalithaa was re-elected, unprecedented in a state which had alternately handed power to the DMK and AIADMK every five years. Mr Karunanidhi's hopes of another stint as chief minister were dashed, even as his health steadily failed.
Also accused of corruption in the case and acquitted yesterday, was Mr Karunanidhi's daughter MK Kanimozhi, whose own political career has been placed on the sidelines because if the 2G allegations. "Now I'll do all I can to strengthen the party and work for people of Tamil Nadu, she said after the verdict.