Friday, July 29, 2011

If I committed crime, so did Tatas: Chandolia

suchithkc



New Delhi, July 29 :Targeting the Tatas and lobbyist Niira Radia, former communications minister A. Raja's ex-personal secretary R.K. Chandolia Friday said if he could be accused in the 2G spectrum scam, then so should they.

Chandolia began his arguments in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court by opposing the charges against him and saying he was a government official who was following the order of superiors.

'The deal took place between Radia and the Tatas, they are not in jail, and my client who is not involved is in the dock,' Chandolia's counsel Vijay Aggarwal told CBI special judge O.P. Saini.

His counsel said: 'If the crime is done by my client, then Tata and Radia are also on equal footing.'

Chandolia's counsel argued he just followed the orders of A. Raja. 'It was Raja who took Niira Radia's help... and my client just followed the orders,' said Chandolia's counsel.

'Radia called the office that time, my client had picked up the phone and she wanted speak to Raja. As he was not there she asked him to tell Raja that the KTV problem has been sorted out,' said Aggarwal.

'My client only conveyed what happened, how can he be a conspirator?' he asked. The counsel also added there are no recorded conversations of Chandolia.

The counsel further questioned the CBI's role. 'We all know that CBI is the most clean agency, but it does not have guts to touch the Tatas and Radia.'

Defending Chandolia, the counsel told the court that his client was a personal assistant and had no major role to play.

'He was just assisting the minister in his day to day work and he was not supposed to apply his mind and he only did what his master (Raja) said...

'Can an assistant ask the master what decision have they made? How is he concerned and what is his role?' the counsel argued.

Chandolia is lodged in Tihar jail along with Raja.

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