BAIL ME OUT! TAINTED BIG WIGS HUNT FOR FREEDOM LICENSE- BAIL

                                        

Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

15th September 2011 issue-

                                                     BAIL ME OUT!

    TAINTED BIG WIGS HUNT FOR FREEDOM LICENSE- BAIL

Arguably, the hottest topic on block now is bail. The word ‘bail’ issue has seen many ‘royal’ legal battles in court for the last few months.

It all started with the arrest of A. Raja a former Telecom Minister in the 2G spectrum scam. Leading legal luminaries fought for days to get bail for Raja. The court refused it and as such he is in the Tihar Jail for the last several months. The next in Tihar Jail was Kannimozhi, MP and daughter of DMK Boss M. Karunanidhi. She too was not given bail by the CBI court.

Then, Suresh Kalmadi, joined Raja - Kannimozi in Tihar Jail after being arrested by the CBI in the CWG scam. It is at the same time that Hasan Ali, who is charged with cheating Income Tax to the tune of 70,000 crores, was behind bars. For once, his brilliant lawyers succeeded in securing bail from High Court but before the ink dried on the order, the Supreme Court stepped in and sent him back to jail.

With politicians making a beeline to the Jail, the need for ‘bail’ has become paramount. The other day, Amar Singh the hi-fi power broker who was a godfather to the big names in politics - business - films etc. too went to Tihar Jail. It was Amar Singh who saved Amitabh Bachan, Anil Ambani of Reliance and even Manmohan Singh’s Government in 2008. And now, he too is fighting for bail.

Back home, two former Chief Ministers B. S. Yeddyurappa and H. D. Kumaraswamy with their family members are fighting with their back to the wall to get anticipatory bail from the High Court. Earlier to this, Katta Sumbramanya Naidu and his son Katta Jagadish who are also in the Jail for the last one and half months, have also been hopping and popping to secure bail.

Politicians who took any case against them lightly can no longer show such confidence level despite having best legal brains of the country backing them. Yedurappa was uttering bravados ever since the Governor sanctioned his prosecution early in January this year. He was the CM and made political capital out of it and the BJP even observed ‘State Bundh’ against Governor’s sanction. Since then Yedurappa also successfully blocked the course of law. First he obtained a ‘stay’ from High Court against the court’s order to Lokayukta police to probe the charges. Later he challenged the sanction of the Governor itself. He engaged the services of legal ‘greats’ like Ram Jethamalani etc. to argue his case.

But to his dismay, the High Court vacated the stay and dismissed the petition challenging Governor’s sanction. Then Yedurappa fearing arrest and subsequent lodging in central Jail applied anticipatory bail. And when that too did not yield results, he tried to get exemption from the appearance on health grounds. Finally, he along with his family members had to appear in the court along with a battery of leading lawyers in state. The court has to hear the arguments and counter arguments and one does not know whether Yedurappa & Co. will get the bail or go to jail.

Similarly H. D. Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy were summoned by the court over a criminal case filed by a set up advocate by the BJP in retaliation to Kumaraswamy’s exposure of Yedurappa scams. Kumaraswamy used to boast that he will face the court and come out unscathed! But when the court issued the summons, he was indeed in panic.

However, while Kumaraswamy and his wife were fortunate enough as they got anticipatory bail from the High Court, Yedurappa has no such relief as yet. Though he is desperately trying all possible options and indulging in delay tactics, one will have to wait with crossed fingers over the fate of Yedurappa and Family’s bail or jail outcome.

To crown all these, Janardhana Reddy, who remote controlled the State’s BJP Government was arrested by the CBI in the mining scam. He was taken to Hyderabad and remanded to judicial custody while a dozen leading lawyers were present in full steam to got bail for him. There are all the chances of other Reddy Brothers too getting arrested by the CBI. Jaganmonah Reddy, the son of former AP Chief Minister Y. S. Rajashekara Reddy is also facing the threat of arrest by the CBI in the Supreme Court cleared CBI probe in the disproportionate assets case. He is also involved in Janardhana Reddy’s business ventures and may be arrested in this case also.

As such everybody, of course, not ordinary people who face the threat of arrest are moving earth and hell to avoid getting lodged in jail. They are prepared to do anything to avoid jail going. Interestingly, the Supreme Court has made it clear that bail is a right and jail is an exception. But, still our ‘Netas’ who commit day light robbery to make billions are all struggling for securing the bail. However, of late they have been denied bail and given ‘jail’ much to the satisfaction of Democracy and its subject. And that is all.