Kanimozhi Finally Arrested

Denied Bail in 2G Scam

New Delhi, May 20 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday denied bail pleas of DMK MP Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV chief Sharad Kumar, named as co-conspirators in the 2G spectrum scam.

The court directed the CBI to take her and Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharath Kumar into judicial custody.  The Rajya Sabha MP will be taken to Tihar jail.

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.

She is accused of conspiring and accepting bribes to rig 2007/08 grants of lucrative telecoms licences.

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.

The scandal may have cost Asia's third-largest economy $39 billion in lost revenues, equivalent to the defence budget, sparking outrage against the government. Analysts say the scandal cost the DMK the election in Tamil Nadu.

This and several other corruption scandals in Singh's second term have battered the Congress-led coalition government, stymied its agenda for economic reform, and hurt foreign direct investment into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Kanimozhi has been charged with conspiracy and receiving bribes along with several of India's top business executives in the telecoms scandal. She denies the charges.

Her party colleague, the former telecoms minister Andimuthu Raja, has been arrested in the case. Others arrested include executives of Reliance ADA group and Sanjay Chandra, the managing director of Telenor's India partner Unitech. All accused deny the charges.

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).

Kalaignar TV channel had earlier stated that the Rs.214 crore it got was a loan and paid back with interest.