CBI: 2G probe of Maran, others done
The CBI informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it has completed its probe against former communications minister Dayanidhi Maran and others in the 2G spectrum allotment scam and will approach the Centre for taking sanction for prosecution of officials.
The agency submitted it is not been getting cooperation from the Malaysian authorities in its probe in the Aircel-Maxis deal involving DMK leader Maran but said it would go ahead in the case on the basis of material and evidence available to it. A bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan then directed the agency to make reference to the Centre within seven days for taking sanction. It also directed the Centre to take a decision on sanction within two weeks. The bench said already more than a year had passed after registering the case. “This matter must be brought to an end, to a logical conclusion,” the bench said, posting the case for hearing on August 1.
Mr Maran has been accused of forcing Chennai-based telecom promoter C. Sivasankaran to sell his stake in Aircel in 2006 to a Malaysian firm, Maxis Group, owned by Kuala Lumpur-based business tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan. The agency in July 2011 had placed a status report in the court stating that during 2004-07, when Mr Maran was communications minister, Mr Sivasankaran was coerced to sell his stake to the Maxis Group.
The CBI’s status report said the Malaysian firm was favoured by Mr Maran and was granted a licence within six months after taking over Aircel in December 2006. Mr Maran was communications minister between February 2004 and May 2007. “The gentleman (promoter of Aircel) had been knocking at various doors but was left with no choice but to sell his shares to a Malaysian firm,” the CBI had said.
The NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation had earlier placed documents before the apex court on the alleged role of Mr Maran in favouring the Maxis Group, which had bought Aircel, owned by Siva Group, when he was communications minister. The CPIL had alleged that Mr Maran during his tenure as communications minister granted 14 licences to Aircel, which invested `599.01 crore in his family-owned business. Later, he allegedly delayed the award of UAS licenses to Aircel, which had been applying with the DoT since 2004 by raising irrelevant issues from time to time and ignoring the request of its owner, C. Sivasankaran, to resolve them, following which he sold the company to Maxis Group.
Mr Sivasankaran had appeared before the CBI and had recorded his statement.
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