2G case: Maran under scanner, says CBI

NEW DELHI: The CBI told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran is under its scanner in the 2G spectrum scam in relation with his role in forcing a Chennai-based telecom promoter to sell Aircel to Malaysian firm Maxis in the year 2006. Maran is at present Union Minister for Textiles.Placing its 71-page status report before a Bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly, senior counsel K K Venugopal, appearing for the investigative agency, said that during 2004-07 when Maran was the Telecom Minister, the promoter C Sivasankaran was forced to sell his stake in Aircel to Maxis Group. The agency did not directly name the minister but said Sivasankaran was not granted the licence he had ardently sought for more than two years, and this eventually forced him to sell his stake in Aircel to Maxis. As on March 3, 2006, a total of 14 applications from Aircel were pending in the DoT for award of licences.The agency added that Maxis was favoured by the former Minister and was granted a licence within six months after it bought Aircel in December 2006.This is the result of the petitioner in the case—the Centre for Public Interest Litigation— placing the relevant documents before the Bench showing clearly the alleged role of Maran in favouring Maxis group.The petitioner alleged that Maran had granted 14 licences to Aircel—after it was bought by Maxis—which invested Rs 599 crore in his family-owned Sun Group, which received substantial investments to the tune of 20 per cent equity from the Maxis group. Venugopal said the CBI will complete its investigation into the money trail by the end of August and the probe into irregularities will be completed within three months, by September 30. At this, the Bench posted the matter to July 11, for further hearing.