2G scam: CBI files charges against Maran brothers in Aircel-Maxis case
30 Aug 2014
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed charges against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanidhi Maran and six others, including four companies, in the Aircel-Maxis deal in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
In the charges filed in a special court, the CBI also named Malaysian business tycoon T Ananda Krishnan, Ralph Marshall, a top executive of Maxis, besides Sun TV and Malaysia's Maxis Communication Berhad, as accused in the case.
The CBI had earlier alleged that Dayanidhi Maran had "forced" Chennai-based telecom promoter C Sivasankaran to sell the stake in Aircel to Malaysian firm Maxis Group in 2006 owned by Ananda Krishnan.
In a status report filed in the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the 2G spectrum allocation scam probe, CBI had earlier said that during 2004-07 when Maran was telecom minister, former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran was coerced to sell the stake in Aircel to Maxis Group.
Companies controlled by billionaire Kalanithi Maran's Sun Group, which runs a media business, including television channels and satellite TV services, had received "illegal gratification" totalling about Rs742 crore ($123 million), the CBI said. About Rs549 crore of it was "in the garb of" the premium paid for the purchase of a stake in a Sun Group company, the agency said.
Dayanidhi Maran has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Former telecom secretary JS Sharma, who has passed away, is also among those named in the chargesheet, although his name has been marked out as one against whom trial cannot proceed.
South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd, Mauritius, and ASTRO All Asia Network plc have also been named as accused in the charge sheet.
They have been charged with offences punishable under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The charges were filed before Special CBI Judge OP Saini who fixed it for consideration on 11 September.
The charges were filed a day after the Supreme Court turned down the plea of Dayanidhi Maran seeking to restrain the CBI from filing charges in the case, saying that investigation in the case is still going on.
