Year of Jails == 2011

Kanimozhi: Rajya Sabha MP and DMK chief M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi was released from Tihar Jail in November this year after spending six months in prison. Kanimozhi was arrested on May 20 for allegedly accepting a 214-crore bribe in India's largest-ever swindle, the 2G scam that was reportedly masterminded by A Raja, who is also from her party.

A Raja: Former telecom minister A Raja was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 2 and was taken to Tihar jail on February 17 in connection with the 2G scam. He is still in jail. Raja has a separate cell of 15 feet by 10 feet in ward number nine in Tihar jail. Apart from watching television and reading newspapers and books, Andimuthu Raja plays badminton with the inmates in the evening, jail authorities say. Authorities also say that Raja seems hooked on to the snacks from the Tihar canteen, which he shares with fellow inmates.

BS Yeddyurappa: The former Karnataka Chief Minister was released from Bangalore's Central Jail on November 8, twenty five days after he was arrested for corruption. Shortly after being released, Mr Yeddyurappa thanked the people of Karnataka and headed to a temple. His arrest was, however, not without drama. The politician spent two days in two different hospitals after being arrested, at his insistence. He returned to prison after doctors declared he did not need medical supervision. He was arrested for two different cases that involved him using his office as Chief Minister to make prime property available to his children and their spouses at phenomenal bargains.

Janardhana Reddy: The mining baron, who earlier reportedly used to fly in his helicopter from Bellary to Bangalore only to have breakfast, had a dark Diwali this year. Mr Reddy, one of India's richest politicians, has been jailed in connection with the illegal mining scam. Mr Reddy, along with his brother-in-law, have been accused of illegal mining via their infamous company, Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC). One of the three powerful Reddy brothers and a high-profile former Karnataka minister, Janardhana is sleeping on the floor at the Chanchalguda Jail with other undertrials and has to make do with rice, dal and vegetarian curry for dinner.

Ramalinga Raju: After spending nearly 32 months in jail, former chairman and founder of Satyam Computer Services Ramalinga Raju, was finally released from Hyderabad's Chanchalguda Jail this November after the Supreme Court granted granted him bail. Mr Raju, the prime accused in the multi-crore Satyam fraud case, was granted bail on health grounds by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
In January 2009, Mr Raju had admitted to the accounting fraud at Satyam Computer, now known as Mahindra Satyam - a part of the Mahindra group. The fraud, estimated to be about Rs 14,000 crore, is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Suresh Kalmadi: Former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chief Suresh Kalmadi is yet another high-profile inmate who is in the confines of the Tihar jail. Mr Kalmadi was arrested on April 26 for his alleged role in awarding the contract for installing the Timing-Scoring-Result (TSR) system to Swiss Times Omega at an exorbitant cost of Rs 141 crore, allegedly causing a loss of over Rs 95 crore to the public exchequer. In an extensive 534-page report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Shunglu committee said that Kalmadi ran the Organising Committee like a club and misused his powers. The CBI questioned Mr Kalmadi three times and raided his homes and offices in Delhi and Pune. The three-time MP from Pune spends most of his time in a 10x12 feet cell in jail number four. According to sources, unlike his high-profile neighbours, Suresh Kalmadi is almost a forlorn prisoner in Tihar and hardly gets any visitors.

Sudheendra Kulkarni: The former BJP advisor, who was arrested for his alleged role in the 2008 cash-for-votes scam, walked out of Tihar Jail this November along with two former BJP MPs Mahavir Singh Bhagora and Faggan Singh Kulaste. He was granted bail by the Delhi High Court. Mr Kulkarni has been accused by the Delhi Police of masterminding a conspiracy in July 2008 which saw three BJP MPs putting themselves on the market ahead of a trust vote in Parliament. Mr Bhagora, Mr Kulaste and Ashok Argal were then allegedly paid one crore in cash, an advance for a nine-crore deal, by middlemen acting on behalf of Amar Singh, who was then with the Samajwadi Party. The MPs walked into Parliament ahead of the trust vote brandishing wads of notes. Mr Kulkarni has said that he wanted to expose the UPA government's willingness to buy votes to remain in power.

Amar Singh: Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, who was arrested in connection with the cash-for-votes-scam, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on September 23 on humanitarian grounds. Mr Singh was arrested on September 6 and sent to Tihar jail for his alleged involvement in the bribing of three BJP MPs ahead of a trust vote in Parliament in July 2008. From there, Mr Singh was shifted to AIIMS on September 13 after he complained of vomiting and pain in the kidney.

Sanjay Chandra, Karim Morani, Vinod Goenka, Hari Nair, Surendra Pipara: Of the 14 people being tried in the 2G scam for charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to forgery, 10 have now been granted bail. Last week, the Supreme Court allowed bail for five executives whose companies have been accused of colluding with Mr Raja - they included Sanjay Chandra of Unitech Wireless; Vinod Goenka of Swan; Surendra Pipara, Hari Nair of Reliance ADAG and Cineyug Films' Karim Morani. 
Mr Kumar is the Managing Director of Kalaignar TV, a channel in Chennai co-owned by Kanimozhi and her stepmother. Mr Kumar and Kanimozhi have been accused of allowing their channel to serve as the landing place for a 214-crore kickback that was paid to Mr Raja by Swan Telecom, a telecom company he reportedly obliged with an out-of-turn license in 2008. Mr Balwa, Mr Agarwal and Mr Morani all allegedly served as conduits for that bribe.

Shiney Ahuja: Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja's khwaahish came true, when he walked out of jail this year. The actor was jailed in 2009 after his domestic help accused Shiney of raping her. A sessions court had given Shiney a 7-year jail sentence but he got bail in April this year. He is married to Anupam Ahuja who stood by him through this moment of crisis. The couple have a daughter together.