Former telecom minister A Raja is the last man standing when it comes to seeking a bail in the 2G spectrum allocation case in which he is a prime accused.
Lodged in Tihar jail for nine months, the 47-year-old DMK MP has, as somebody who has himself studied law, made use of his subject skills to one’s own best. Of course, the Tamil Nadu politician is aided by a battery of lawyers with whom he holds crucial consultations.
Raja is the only one among the 14 individuals accused in the 2G case to be playing the ‘wait and watch’ game. It’s as if he is not in a hurry to leave the jail. All the 13 others have petitioned for bail — many of them, more than once and across several courts.
Tomorrow, a CBI court is scheduled to give its verdict on the bail plea of eight 2G accused. This, even as the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the petition of five others charged in the case.
So, what is Raja’s move all about? “From the lawyers’ perspective, it is pure strategy,” says a senior counsel in the 2G case, on why the ex-minister had not tried for bail yet. As a leader of a pack of 17 accused (including three companies), Raja is being referred to as the A-1 in the case. “It is only considered wise to wait for people with stronger cases to be let out first,” he explained.
According to legal experts, there is no way Raja can get bail ahead of fellow party MP Kanimozhi, who is daughter of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi. Or, any of the other accused for that matter.
“Raja may lay his claim to bail once others get it,” notes one of Kanimozhi’s senior counsels, “That will depend on the special court’s order. He knows he will not get it yet.”
A few months ago, while arguing his case, Raja had burst out, saying his non-application for bail did not imply his happiness to being imprisoned. “One day, I will prove my innocence before this court,” he added.
It has been Raja’s conscious and strategic decision not to apply for bail in any of the courts, pointed out another lawyer tracking the high-profile case. In fact, there’s a strong buzz doing the rounds that the MP feels “safer” inside the premises of Tihar jail.
The special court is expected to give its verdict tomorrow on the bail petitions of eight of the 2G accused: Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar, Kusegaon Foods and Vegetables directors Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Cineyug Enterprises MD Karim Morani, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, Raja’s one-time personal secretary R K Chandolia and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, besides Kanimozhi.
While CBI has not opposed the bail petitions of five of these accused, it has argued against the plea made by Balwa, Chandolia and Behura.
The additional charge of criminal breach of trust by a public servant under Section 409 of the IPC laid out by CBI has not made things any easier for Raja, who has been called the mastermind behind the 2G scam.
Tomorrow, it is not just the eight accused who will be waiting for the special court verdict on their bail petitions. Raja will be as eager to know the outcome, as that sure would decide his future course of action.
