2G case: Delhi High Court issues notices to Raja, Kanimozhi on ED, CBI appeals

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to former Telecom Minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum money laundering case.

A bench headed by Justice SP Garg issued the notice asking all the accused to file a repy on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea within 14 days. The court has listed the matter to May 25 for further hearing.

The high court was hearing to the plea challenging a special court order acquitting Raja, Kanimozhi and others in the 2G spectrum money laundering case filed by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The CBI had moved its application on Tuesday, while the ED had filed an appeal against the special court’s judgement in the case on Monday.

A special court on December 21, 2017, had acquitted Raja and Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum money laundering case. Special judge OP Saini while announcing the judgement then had said that the CBI and ED had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the charges against 33 persons named in the case.

The special court along with Raja and Kanimozhi had acquitted 17 others including Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka of STPL, DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal, Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, film producer Karim Morani, and P. Amirtham and Sharad Kumar of Kalaignar TV.

The CBI had alleged that there was a loss of Rs 309.84 billion to the exchequer in allocation of licences for the 2G spectrum. The Supreme Court on February 2, 2012, had scrapped the allocation.