The former Telecom Minister, Mr A. Raja, was granted bail on Tuesday by the Special Court hearing the 2G spectrum scam case.
Mr Raja, the main accused in the case, is the last of the 12 accused persons in the case to get bail. He was arrested in February 2011.
Rejecting the apprehension of the prosecution that Mr Raja might influence witnesses or tamper with evidence in case he is enlarged on bail, the Special CBI Judge, Mr O. P. Saini, observed: “Almost entire evidence in the case is documentary in nature and the same is in the custody of the court. In the end, considering the progress of the trial, period of custody of the accused and that fact that all the other accused have been released on bail, I am of the opinion that further detention of the accused would not serve any purpose.”
Conditions imposed
The court granted bail to Mr Raja on his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20 lakh with two sureties of like amount.
Among the conditions that Mr Saini imposed on Mr Raja are that he would not visit Tamil Nadu or the Telecom Department without the court's permission.
The court also forbade him from “directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him to disclose such facts as may be necessary to the court or to any other authority”.
Party workers celebrate
Applause rang out in the courtroom after Mr Saini pronounced his order. Mr Raja's wife, Parameswari, and most of his co-accused in the case were present in the courtroom.
Co-accused Rajya Sabha member Ms Kanimozhi, and DMK leader Mr T. R. Baalu also arrived to congratulate Mr Raja.
Party workers celebrated by distributing sweets and many of them greeted him later in the evening at his home after release from Tihar Jail.
Our Chennai bureau adds:
Reacting to the news, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief, Mr M. Karunanidhi, said: “ I am happy”.
Replying to questions on Mr Raja's role in the DMK and the level of support he enjoys in the party, Mr Karunanidhi said Mr Raja would be as active as ever in politics. He had the full support of the party.
“All of us support him,” Mr Karunanidhi said.