New Delhi:
Some of the most dramatic testimony against A Raja in his trial for India's largest-ever scam will come by Aseervatham Achary, who worked as Mr Raja's Additional Private Secretary in the Telecom Ministry.
Mr Raja, who is from the DMK, is now in jail for criminal conspiracy and forgery - he is accused of selling valuable spectrum and mobile network licenses for a pittance to companies in 2008 that were ineligible.
As Mr Raja's trial begins in Delhi, Mr Achary will serve as a star witness for the CBI, which is investigating the 2G spectrum scam. Along with six others, Mr Achary has been given special protection - given the powerful personalities involved with the 2G trial, the safety of witnesses has been cited as a concern.
NDTV has access to the statement given by Mr Achary in a Delhi court - it details Mr Raja's relationships with some of those who allegedly colluded with him, including the owners or promoters or some of the companies he allegedly favoured - like Unitech Wireless' Sanjay Chandra and Swan Telecom's Shahid Balwa. (
Read entire statement)
Mr Balwa is now in jail for routing a Rs. 200 crore kickback to Mr Raja via a television channel in Chennai owned partly by Kanimozhi, whose father, M Karunanidhi, heads the DMK. Mr Achary says that 'Kanimozhi made frequent visits to A Raja's office' and that 'Kanimozhi was an active brain behind Kalaignar TV.'
That could be damaging for Kanimozhi, who when interrogated by the CBI, suggested that she is not actively involved with Kalaignar TV's operations, and that financial and other decisions about Kalaignar TV were made by the channel's executives.
Mr Achary has also said that 'A Raja tried to get Kalaignar TV on Tata Sky, took the help of Niira Radia.' A corporate lobbyist who counts Ratan Tata and his Tata Telecom among her clients, Ms Radia is likely to serve as a witness for the CBI in the 2G trial. Ms Radia's phones were tapped in 2008 and 2009 in connection with an income tax case. Her conversations reveal her lobbying with Mr Raja and others for favours for her clients. Mr Raja's campaign for Kalaignar TV to be added to Tata Sky, which is a Direct-to-Home Satellite TV company owned by Mr Tata, suggests misuse of his public office.