By P. Vijian
The 43-year-old was alleged to have benefited from the mega telecom licensing scam, which also tainted several leading telecommunication firms and sent a few top corporate figures to jail.
She was accused of accepting bribes from the spectrum deal and routed the money to a Chennai-based television channel where she is a major stakeholder.
Four other accused in the scandal, along with Bollywood filmmaker Karim Morani, were also granted bail.
Former Indian Telecom Minister A. Raja, named as the main conspirator of the fiasco and blamed for bending rules to favour selected firms in awarding the licenses at very low prices, still remains in jail.
However, Kanimozhi, daughter of maverick ex-chief minister of Tamil Nadu state M. Karunanidhi, is expected to face an arduous trial in the Indian court after authorities filed specific charges against her.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, a federal anti-graft agency, framed charges against Kanimozhi and 16 others, accused of criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.
The controversial licenses were issued on a first-come-first-serve basis in 2008, when Raja helmed the ministry.
On Nov 14, last year, Raja resigned as minister and was arrested last February -- paving the way for a series of high-profile arrests of those allegedly involved in the scam.
Officials estimated losses were nearly US$38 billion (RM120 billion) due to the fraudulent sale of licenses.--NNN- BERNAMA
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