The five top corporate honchos accused in the 2G spectrum case, who were granted bail by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, were released from the Tihar Central Jail here late in the evening.
Confirming the release, Tihar Central Jails Director-General Neeraj Kumar said: “The five were released around 8 p.m. after we got their bail orders from the lower court.”
Unitech Wireless promoter Sanjay Chandra, DB Realty promoter Vinod Goenka and Reliance ADA Group (ADAG) executives Hari Nair, Gautam Doshi and Surrendra Pipara were whisked away in a police vehicle while a battery of photographers and reporters kept vigil outside the Gate No. 3 expecting them to come out in private vehicles.
Hussein Balwa, the first cousin of DB Realty's Shahid Balwa who is an accused in the case, said: “Though Mr. Shahid has not been granted bail in the case, I have come here to express my support to those who are being released today. Fighting the case together for the past several months, we feel like an extended family now.”
Terming the bail order a “landmark judgment,” Mr. Hussein Balwa said the Supreme Court order had reinstated their faith in the judicial system. “The order today shows that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, all we need is to be patient.”
He, however, remarked that the wait for the bail would not have been so long had the case not involved the high-profile personalities.
Mr. Balwa's second cousin Ishaq, who had also come to support the accused, said: “We perceive today's judgment as a positive development. We hope the others will also benefit from it.”
One of the relatives of Mr. Goenka, who refused to identify himself, said: “A good thing has happened at last. We are very happy.”
Scores of employees of Mr. Doshi gathered outside the jail to celebrate his release.
Reliance Telecom counsel Sanjay Abbot hailed the decision as a much-needed relief for his clients. “Now they will be able to speak to their lawyers at leisure and can represent their case in a better way. Earlier, most of the time was lost in arguments and counter-arguments in the court and they did not get ample opportunities to speak to their lawyers. Also it was a long wait, they are happy to be released on bail.”
The presence of journalists outside the Tihar jail also generated much curiosity among passers-by.
