DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, was arrested and sent to Tihar Jail on Friday by a Delhi court which dismissed her bail plea in the 2G spectrum scam case, saying there was a possibility of witnesses being influenced considering the “magnitude” of the crime.
Ms Kanimozhi, 43, daughter of Mr Karunanidhi’s second wife Rajathi, appeared shocked at hearing the order given by special CBI judge O.P. Saini but appeared calm in the courtroom. But tears welled up in her eyes as she was taken to the court lockup by police personnel. Later, clad in a orange salwar suit, she was driven in a police van to Tihar, where she will be lodged in Jail No 6. Former Union communications minister A. Raja, also arrested over the 2G scam, is already in Tihar.
Ms Kanimozhi’s arrest is a major blow to the DMK, still reeling under its recent drubbing in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. Ms Kanimozhi is charged with having accepted a bribe of over `200 crores in the 2G scam.
The court also rejected the bail of Kalaignar TV’s CEO Sharad Kumar, who too was sent packing to Tihar Jail. The court observed that both were “in conspiracy with each other and (with) A. Raja, and they played key roles in receiving illegal gratification for their television channel in which both held 20 per cent shares each.”
Mr Karunanidhi’s second wife Dayalau Ammal, the mother of M.K. Stalin and M.K. Alagiri, could now face the heat in the multi-crore scam. While the CBI is yet to chargesheet her, the agency has indicated in a report that Dayalu Ammal “owns 60 per cent shares in Kalaignar TV.”
Mr Karunanidhi, meanwhile, has cancelled his proposed visit to New Delhi, as earlier planned. But he also clearly indicated that “as of now, the DMK’s ties with the Congress are as good as ever”.
Ms Kanimozhi’s mother, Rajathi Ammal, arrived in New Delhi late on Friday.
The DMK, and Mr Karunanidhi particularly, is seething over his daughter’s arrest, but with the DMK battered in the Assembly elections it cannot simply afford to cut ties to the Congress-led UPA government at this juncture. The DMK has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
Mr Karunanidhi’s sense of hurt was evident. “How do I feel? ... I feel the same way as you would if one of your relatives was arrested,” he said. The DMK chief insisted that the party “will take legal recourse to fight the case”, and sources said a bail application was likely to be filed at the residence of a high court judge on Saturday as the court is now on vacation.
The special CBI court, in its 144-page order, said most of the witnesses against the DMK MP were employees of Kalaignar TV and the possibility of their being influenced could thus not be ruled out. “Considering the magnitude of the crime and the fact that many witnesses are employees of Kalaignar TV, there is every apprehension that the witnesses may be influenced if the accused are released on bail,” the CBI judge said. “The role of both of the accused in the case is clear. The magnitude of the crime is enormous. The allegations, on the face of it, are very grave,” the court noted.
Ms Kanimozhi, though stunned at first by the verdict, soon regained her composure, and began smiling and interacting with those around, including Mr Raja’s wife and sister who were seen speaking to her. Before being taken to Tihar, Ms Kanimozhi hugged her husband and the two were seen talking inside the court lockup for almost 40 minutes. Her son, 11-year-old Aditya, who was sent for by Kanimozhi, also spent some time with her inside the lockup. Aditya was then taken to Mr Raja’s Delhi house, where he is staying at the moment. Interestingly, 10 DMK MPs who had been with her since the morning, vanished as soon as the order was pronounced. Senior DMK leader T.R. Baalu, however, remained in the court till Ms Kanimozhi was taken to Tihar.