New Delhi: A Delhi court trying the 2G case
today witnessed heated arguments between a defence counsel
and the CBI over a media report relating to the judge`s remark
on bail granted to the accused.
During the cross-examination of Aseervatham Achary, an
ex-aide of A Raja and a key CBI witness, who had yesterday
created a flutter by alleging that he was threatened by a man
present in the court room, Special CBI Judge O P Saini said
that bail pleas of many of the accused could have been
rejected if the purported incident had occurred earlier.
"He (Achary) did not say anything earlier and had he
said it then it would have been on record and many of them
(accused) would not have got bail," the judge said.
Later, the defence counsel circulated copies of report
about the same on a website and pleaded it should be mentioned
in today`s order that the said remark was not a part of court
record as an accused, R K Chandolia`s bail plea is listed for
hearing in the Supreme Court.
The judge, however, said that "it is better to leave
the matter here. You say so many things and it gets reported."
The defence counsel said the report gives a "wrong
impression" to the whole nation that the judge is passing the
remark in an open court and it might impact the bail plea.
On being asked by the court, Special Public Prosecutor
U U Lalit said if the press report is not factually wrong then
the question of raising apprehensions is not called for.
"There are two things. Whether such a remark came from
the presiding officer (judge) of the court and if the remarks
have not come up media should be hauled up as this is wrong
reporting. But if the presiding officer has said so then what
is the apprehension of the defence counsel.
"What is the apprehension or fear? Are they going to say
that the media is going to influence the judicial mind?" Lalit
said.
PTI
