2G Scam: Delhi HC Allows CBI, ED Pleas For Early Hearing Of Appeal Against Acquittal Of DMK Leaders Raja, Kanimozhi And Others

Delhi High Court today (Sep 29) has allowed the application filed by the CBI and ED seeking early hearing on their appeals challenging the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.

The order was pronounced by a single judge bench of Justice Brijesh Sethi. The leave to appeal will be heard on a day-to-day basis from October 5, the court ordered.

On September 22, Justice Sethi had earlier reserved the order on the pleas by the investigating agencies

The CBI and the ED sought early virtual hearing of their appeals saying that the country’s largest trial, which was conducted at the public exchequer’s cost, be brought to its logical conclusion. CBI and ED had sought an urgent virtual hearing in the matter given the impending retirement of Justice Sethi in the end of November 2020.

The investigation agencies argued that substantial judicial time of the high court was consumed in hearing arguments in the case and it should be concluded before retirement of the judge on November 30.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, representing the CBI and the ED, earlier said that judicial time has already been invested in this matter and it should not go as a bad investment. He said if the arguments are not completed in the matter before retirement if the judge, they will have to start afresh.

The CBI had also sought advancing the hearing of the appeal challenging the acquittal of Essar Group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, Loop Telecom promoters I P Khaitan and Kiran Khaitan and four others in a separate case arising out of the 2G scam probe.

A special court had on December 21, 2017 acquitted Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others in CBI and ED cases related to the scam. It had acquitted 17 others, including DMK supremo M Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal; Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa; film producer Karim Morani; P Amirtham and Sharad Kumar, Director of Kalaignar TV in the ED case.

On March 19 2018, the ED had approached the high court challenging the special court’s order acquitting all the accused. A day later, the CBI too had challenged in the high court the acquittal of the accused in the case.