Ex telecom secretary Behura denied bail in 2G case

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Former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, arrested for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam along with former telecom minister A. Raja on February two this year, was denied bail on Friday by the Delhi high court.

"The bail application is dismissed," justice V.K. Shali told a jam-packed courtroom, pronouncing his judgement on Behura’s bail plea.

Justice Shali, however, did not read out the operative portion of his order dealing with the grounds on which the former telecom secretary's bail plea was dismissed.

The same court earlier on November 28 had granted bail to five other co-accused in the 2G case, including DMK MP Kanimozhi and Bollywood filmmaker Karim Morani.

While granting bail to the five, justice Shali had reserved his order on Behura's bail plea, saying his case was different from those of other accused as he was a public servant.

Behura and former telecom minister A. Raja, who were arrested on February two this year, are the only accused who are in jail as all 12 others have been granted bail by various courts.

Earlier, during the hearing on December one, CBI had opposed his bail plea saying complicity of public servants should be viewed "seriously" and if he is released, ex-minister A. Raja may also seek same relief on ground of parity.