The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday opposed the bail plea of R.K. Chandolia, the former Telecom Minister A. Raja's Private Secretary, in the 2G case. It said the principle of parity that worked in favour of the other accused, who are private persons in getting bail, did not apply to him as he was a public servant.
Special Public Prosecutor U.U. Lalit said Mr. Chandolia, a suspended Indian Economic Services officer, Mr. Raja, and former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura were part of the “core sector” of the criminal conspiracy in the case and thus were on a “different footing.” “It would be unrealistic to draw parity with those released on bail.”
Mr. Lalit said Mr. Chandolia monitored the receipt of UAS licence applications, had a role to play in altering the cut-off date, in designing the counters at the DoT for issuance of Letters of Intent, and also influenced the transfer of two telecom officials out of the wireless planning and co-ordination section.
Defence counsel Vijay Aggarwal wondered why the principle of parity cannot be applied to all accused. “The alleged beneficiaries are getting bail whereas I am still in jail. How strange is this! I am the unequal among the equals,” he remarked.
Mr. Saini reserved order on the bail plea for Thursday.
