2G scam: Raja pleads for bail after Behura freed

Former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja, jailed for over a year now in connection with the 2G spectrum scam, today applied afresh for bail to the Special CBI Court in Delhi which is trying cases related to the scam. Raja said in his bail application that the case against him is ''false and fabricated''.

Raja filed the bail plea even as the Supreme Court granted bail to former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura, who was Raja's aide in 2008 when the alleged arbitrary sale of spectrum at throwaway prices took place. The Supreme Court also upheld the bail granted to Raja's ex-private secretary R K Chandolia by the trial court.

With this, Raja remains the only person related to the scam to remain behind bars. All the other 17 or so persons who were arrested in connection with the scam have been granted bail at one stage or another. Raja has been in judicial custody since 2 February 2011.

In his bail plea before Special CBI Judge O P Saini, Raja also cited the fact that all his co-accused have been granted bail.

The judge issued notice to the CBI seeking its response to the petition by 11 May.

Besides Raja, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi, Behura, Chandolia, three top executives of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra and Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka are facing trial in the case; along with Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar, director of Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd Karim Morani and directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal.

Besides these 14 people, three telecom firms - Swan Telecom, Reliance Telecom and Unitech Wireless are also facing trial in the case.