Karunanidhi meets Kanimozhi in jail
As Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi moved the Delhi High Court for her bail on Monday, her father M Karunanidhi met her at Tihar Jail here.
The 87-year-old former Tamil Nadu chief minister met his youngest daughter Kanimozhi at the Superintendent’s office in Tihar jail around 5.30 pm and spent over one hour with her.
Kanimozhi?s mother Rajathi Ammal, her husband Aravindan and DMK Parlimentary Party leader T.R. Baalu accompanied the DMK chief.
This is the first time Karunanidhi met Kanimozhi after her arrest in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Karunanidhi termed his visit to the capital as ?strictly a personal one? and hence did not even meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, whom he meets whenever he is in New Delhi, ever since DMK entered alliance with the Congress in 2004.
Meanwhile, Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar on Monday appealed in the Delhi High Court for their bail in connection to the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Kanimozhi was on Friday arrested after a special Delhi court rejected her bail plea in the 2G scam case, paving the way for her imprisonment in the Tihar jail.
The bail plea of Sharad Kumar, the managing director of Kanimozhi’s family-run Kalaignar TV, was also rejected.
Kanimozhi is a stake holder in the Kalaignar TV, which is allegedly one of the beneficiaries of the 2G scam money. She has been chargesheeted as the controlling mind behind the TV company by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Justice OP Saini said bail was dismissed “due to the magnitude of the crime and the nature and enormity of the allegations” which forced him not to show any consideration to her despite she being a woman with a very dignified conduct in the court.
The judge said the “bail applications are without merit and hence dismissed.”
The court in its 144-page order arguing against a bail held that since most of the witnesses against Kanimozhi are the employees of Kalaignar TV there is a possibility of their being influenced.
She will be lodged in the Tihar Jail where her party colleague A Raja is now languishing.
The court on May 14 had deferred the bail hearing of the daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi till May 20.
The CBI has chargesheeted Kanimozhi as a co-conspirator in the scam and for allegedly accepting a Rs 214 crore bribe in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal that saw her party colleague and former Telecom Minister going to Tihar jail.
The DMK lost heavily the elections in Tamil Nadu this month.
The CBI has opposed Kanimozhi’s bail holding that she was the ?active brain? behind the tainted TV company.
CBI prosecutor UU Lalit told Special CBI judge OP Saini that she was well-aware of the money laundering by Kalaignar TV run by her family.
Kanimozhi has been named by CBI as co-conspirator in the 2G spectrum allocation scam in its second chargesheet filed before Special judge O P Saini.
But, eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani had appeared for the daughter of M Karunanidhi and argued for her bail, playing the ?woman? card.
Jethmalani said: ?She (Kanimozhi) is a law abiding citizen, an MP and a woman. Section 437 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) says women, old people, children should normally be granted bail.”
Kanimozhi has been charged with section 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. .
Kanimozhi also has to face the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for money laundering allegations.
The ED has indicted Kanimozhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).