New Delhi, Nov 30 (IANS): A CBI special court has reserved till Thursday its order on the bail plea of ex-telecom minister A. Raja's former private secretary R.K. Chandolia, an accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini reserved the order Wednesday.
Chandolia moved the bail application on the ground that after the framing of charges, the trial in the case was expected to take a considerable time and he should be granted bail as he was similarly placed with the co-accused who were released on bail by superior courts.
"The Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court and the special court have already granted bail to 11 accused and as the trial is expected to take a long time, I have sought bail on the ground of parity," said Chandolia.
His counsel Vijay Aggarwal said he submitted before the CBI special court that the charges against him were baseless as he only followed the instructions of the then minister.
The special court Tuesday granted bail to Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, citing the "principle of parity".
The apex court Nov 23 granted bail to Unitech's Sanjay Chandra, Swan Telecom's director Vinod Goenka and Reliance Group's executives Hari Nair, Gautam Doshi and Surendra Pipara.
The Delhi High Court Monday granted bail to DMK MP Kanimozhi, Kalaignar TV chief Sharad Kumar, Cineyug Films' Karim Morani and Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd. directors Rajiv B. Aggarwal and Asif Balwa.
The high court will Dec 1 resume hearing on the bail plea of former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, whose plea was opposed by the CBI.
Raja, along with Chandolia and Behura, were arrested Feb 2 for allegedly abusing their official position and manipulating the tendering process to benefit certain telecom companies in getting licences for scarce radiowaves.
Raja, Chandolia and Behura face charges of criminal breach of trust by public servants under the Indian Penal Code which carries a maximum punishment of imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term which may extend up to 10 years with penalty.
They are the only three accused, out of the 14 individuals arrested by the CBI initially, left in jail. Raja is still to seek bail.