DMK leader K Karunanidhi’s daughter and the MD of Kalaignar channel K Kanimozhi has been denied bail in the 2G spectrum scam case.
The MP is now likely to be sent to the Tihar Jail, where the other accused are also lodged under trial. Sharad Kumar, MD of Kalaignar TV too has been denied bail and therefore sent to judicial custody in Tihar jail.
The Judge did not make any elaborate judgement on the matter and only pronounced that bail is being denied.
Details of the judgement are not available, but Ram Jethmalani, counsel for Kanimozhi said he had done his job and that the judgement will be appealed in the High Court.
Kanimozhi requested for bail after being named a conspirator in the 2G scam case. The CBI found that Kalaignar TV — the channel started by the Karunanidhi family after its fall out with the Maran brothers — has received easy loans indirectly from the owners of one of the beneficiaries of the alleged 2G scam — Swan Telecom.
Kanimozhi, who is also a DMK Loksabha MP, argued in the Court for leniency on the grounds of being a woman. She also claimed that she did not know of all the goings on at the TV channel as she was just a 20% stakeholder. She has blamed the management of the channel, while the CBI accuses her of being the ‘brain’ behind the channel.
Kanimozhi’s fellow DMK leader A Raja and Swan Telecom Director Vinod Goenka, Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd Managing Director Sanjay Chandra, and three top officials of Reliance ADA Group — Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair were sent to Tihar a month ago.
Subramanian Swamy, the petitioner in the case, said he welcomed the move as Kanimozhi would not have been able to be properly interrogated outside custody.
While most people on the streets are happy about the decision, legal experts have also questioned why bail was denied. “Bail can be denied if it is argued that her being outside [the jail] will be detrimental to investigations.. You can’t put someone in jail simply because you strongly believe he or she is guilty, until the final judgement is made,” pointed out a senior lawyer from Delhi.
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