New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday described the rejection of bail to DMK MP Kanimozhi as a slap on the face of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which had not opposed her plea, while the Congress said it was not the end of the road and she could approach other legal fora.
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy said the high-profile accused in the 2G scam case should not be given bail as they may influence witnesses.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the court order should not be extrapolated to ‘play up or play down the political relationship’ between his party and the DMK and it had nothing to do with the two parties.
‘It is not the end of road as other appellate fora are available. Invariably, it has been seen while one court may take a particular view, another court may take another view, but ultimately the bottom line remains that it is for the court to take a considerate view of the matter and come at an appropriate conclusion,’ Tewari said.
He said the matter was investigated by CBI on the pursuance of the Supreme Court, a charge sheet has been filed and the matter is being considered by the trial court.
Subramanian Swamy said the high-profile accused in the 2G scam should not be given bail as they may influence witnesses.
‘These are not ordinary people, they are billionaires (with) all kinds of international connections. And consequently… witnesses could be affected by the atmosphere created by their going out and celebrations for them, holding rallies etc,’ Swamy told a TV news channel.
Swamy also said that even though the CBI was not soft on the accused, the agency was under pressure when it came to acting against the politicians named in the case.
Swamy has also sought a CBI probe into the role of Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the spectrum allocation during his tenure as the finance minister.
BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj said rejection of Kanimozhi’s bail application was a slap in the face of the CBI.
‘The change of stunts by CBI in Kanimozhi’s case is very shocking. The court hasn’t taken cognizance of CBI plea; it is a slap on the face of the CBI. Even when they have not opposed Kanimozhi bail application, the court has not granted her bail,’ Punj said.
The BJP leader said it was shocking how the CBI had tried to differentiate between various people accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
‘In the case of Kanimozhi, they had decided not to oppose the bail application and in other case they had other stunts and it is unacceptable. Unfortunately, this followed a meeting between DMK chief M. Karunanidhi and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi,’ he said.
Punj said the decision of the court had to be seen in view of the enormity of the crime and the status of the accused, who are ‘powerful persons within the system and each one of them capable of influencing the investigation’.
The bail pleas of Kanimozhi and seven others accused in the 2G spectrum allotment scam were Thursday dismissed by a CBI special court here. They will continue to be lodged in the Tihar Jail.
