HC notice to CBI on bail plea of Kanimozhi in 2G case

New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Tuesday
issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),
India's premier investigation agency, on the bail pleas of
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV
MD Sharad Kumar in the 2G spectrum case.
"Issue notice to the CBI for May 30," Justice Ajit
Bharihoke, who yesterday (Monday) dismissed the bail pleas of
five corporate honchos in the case, said.
The court also asked the probe agency to file a status
report detailing the stage of investigation and the judicial
proceedings in the case on the next date of hearing.
Kanimozhi, the 43-year-old daughter of DMK Supremo M
Karunanidhi, and Sharad Kumar had approached the high court
Monday with their bail applications after the special CBI
court order their "forthwith" arrest on May 20.
Rejecting their bail applications, the special court
had said that the offence attributed to them was grave and the
possibility of influencing the witnesses cannot be ruled out.
Kanimozhi, who sought bail in the Special Court on
ground of being a woman, had approached the high court seeking
relief citing the need to look after her school-going child
who is devoid of the care of his father working abroad.
"The petitioner (Kanimozhi) is having a single school-
going child to be taken care of. Her husband is employed
abroad and the court should grant bail to her," said the bail
plea, filed by the daughter of the DMK patriarch through
advocates V G Pragasam, S J Aristotle and Sudarshan Rajan.
Kanimozhi and Kumar were named in the CBI charge sheet
for allegedly receiving a kick back to tune of Rs 200 crore.
Both Kanimozhi and Kumar have 20 per cent stake each
in Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd which received Rs 200 crore through a
circuitous route. DMK chief's wife Dayalu Ammal owns the
remaining 60 per cent stake in the channel.
In her bail plea, the DMK MP claimed she is innocent
and has been falsely implicated in the case due to "the biased
media reporting concocted on the basis of conjectures and
surmises."
She said she had cooperated with the CBI in its
investigation and also voluntarily complied with court's
summons.
She also referred to the special judge's observation
in the order that she had shown "extremely dignified conduct"
in the court by appearing regularly and said she should be
granted bail.
"She is a respectable person having roots in the
society. Being a Member of Parliament and a law-abiding
citizen, she will neither flee from justice nor will tamper
with evidence nor interfere with the course of trial," she
added in her plea.
"As a Member of Parliament and whip of DMK party in
the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Indian Parliament), she has to
attend Parliament sessions and all party meetings convened
from time to time in connection with parliamentary business",
she said.