2G scam: Trial court has no reason to deny bail to Raja, lawyer says

NEW DELHI: During his stay in jail for fifteen months, former telecom minister A Raja did not even once move the trial court for bail unlike other co-accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. His counsel Sushil Kumar had earlier told TOI that Raja was waiting for the right time to move for bail. Now, with the Supreme Court granting bail to former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura and Raja subsequently moving for bail in the trial court on the “grounds of parity”, lawyers in the 2G case said his chances of getting bail had got better.Vijay Aggarwal, counsel for Raja’s ex-aide RK Chandolia, said that after the apex court’s order, the special CBI court “should not have any reservations” in granting bail to Raja. Besides granting bail to Behura, the apex court on Wednesday also upheld the trial court’s order granting bail to Chandolia. “The Supreme Court said that bail not jail should be the principle. The trial court’s stand of granting bail to Chandolia has already been vindicated. I don’t see why Raja be treated differently,” said Aggarwal.Earlier, CBI had opposed Behura’s bail saying complicity of public servants should be viewed "seriously" and if he (Behura) was released, Raja may also seek the same relief on ground of parity. Even the trial court, while granting bail to Chandolia, noted that his case "cannot be equated" with that of Raja and Behura. But as Behura was given bail by the apex court, Raja’s lawyer Sushil Kumar said the trial court should have “no reason” to deny bail to the DMP MP. “I was very clear from the beginning that I will not ask Raja to move bail until Behura is given bail. Both were kept on a different footing as others but when one is given relief, then I don’t see why Raja should not be given bail,” he said. Behura’s counsel Aman Lekhi said that though his client was given bail, he was not sure what stand the CBI would take on Raja’s bail plea. “CBI said Behura was a public servant but at present he is retired. The agency did not seek cancellation of CWG OC chief Suresh Kalmadi’s bail of that of Kanimozhi. There cannot be indefinite incarceration during a trial,” he said.