Delhi high court to take up Kanimozhi’s bail plea tomorrow

The bail plea of DMK MP Kanimozhi and five others accused of being involved in the 2G scam will be heard by the Delhi high court on Friday, instead of on 1 December.

Kanimozhi and the others moved the court seeking an early hearing of their bail plea, following the granting of bail by the Supreme court to five corporate executives in the same case on Wednesday. Citing the apex court order, Kanimozhi told the high court that keeping her in custody for a few more days would be a violation of her fundamental right.

She pointed out that even the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was not opposing her bail plea.

Besides Kanimozhi, the five other accused persons seeking bail include Sharad Kumar, chief of Kalaignar TV; Karim Morani of Cineyug Films; Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables; and Siddharth Behura, the former telecom secretary. Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, was sent to Tihar jail on May 20.

The CBI has accused Kanimozhi, Kumar, Morani, Balwa and Agarwal of being involved in the transfer of Rs200 crore to Kalaignar TV, owned by the DMK chief's family members including Kanimozhi, at the instance of Shahid Usman Balwa, the promoter of Swan Telecom, who is also a key accused in the scam.

Former telecom minister A. Raja (also of the DMK) is the main accused in the scam. He has, however, not moved the court for bail.