New Delhi:
Kanimozhi will have to wait till at least June 20 to find out if she will get bail. For now, she will stay in Tihar Jail. The MP from the DMK has been in jail since May 20 for allegedly accepting a 214-crore bribe in the telecom scam that was reportedly masterminded by A Raja, who is also from her party.
Kanimozhi's application for bail was rejected last Wednesday by the Delhi High Court. She then appealed to the Supreme Court. Today, judges there asked the CBI to respond by June 20 on the details of the allegations against Kanimozhi. The judges want to know if the CBI, which is investigating the scam, has recovered the money that Kanimozhi is accused of accepting in conspiracy with Mr Raja. The judges also want the CBI to share the exact losses caused to the government by the telecom scam, widely referred to as the "2G scam" because of the type of frequency involved. At last count, the CBI said the 2G scam cost India 30,000 cores. While Kanimozhi's lawyer was arguing for her bail, one of the judges commented that corruption is one of the "the worst forms of human rights violations."
Mr Raja was Telecom Minister in 2008 when he sanctioned mobile network licenses and Second-Generation or 2G spectrum at unseemingly low prices to telecoms that he allegedly favoured. In return, he was allegedly paid hefty kickbacks. One of those illicit payments - a cheque for Rs 214 crores - was deposited with Kalaignar TV in Chennai, which is co-owned by Kanimozhi and her stepmother.
Kanimozhi's lawyers have argued that she was not an active participant in the company's management. She has also said that the money under scrutiny was a loan that was returned with interest. The CBI has rejected this explanation. (
Read: Kanimozhi's lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, on why she deserves bail)