Dayanidhi Maran case: Madras High Court to hear CBI plea today

Chennai: The Madras high court on Tuesday adjourned to Wednesday a petition filed by CBI seeking cancellation of the interim anticipatory bail granted to former Telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in the illegal telephone exchange case. 

 

When the petition came up before Justice S. Vaidianathan, senior Maran's counsel P.S. Raman submitted that the anticipatory bail petition filed by Maran would come up for further hearing on Monday and the cancellation bail plea may also be heard along with it. The judge asked the counsel to file a reply on the petition filed by CBI and said he would hear it tomorrow itself. In the petition, CBI said Maran, the prime accused in the case, was not cooperating with the investigation.

 

On June 30, the high court had granted anticipatory bail for six weeks subject to the condition that Maran appears before CBI on July 1 and cooperate with the agency in the investigation in the case. 

 

Justice R. Subbiah had granted the relief on a petition by Maran apprehending arrest. Maran was questioned by CBI for a total of 22 hours spread over three days from July 1 at its headquarters in 

New Delhi. 

 

CBI had registered a case naming Maran, the then Chief General Manager (CGM), BSNL, K. Bramhanathan and the then CGM of Chennai Telephones M. P. Veluswami for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy and causing a huge financial loss to the government exchequer.

 

It has alleged that more than 300 high-speed telephone lines were provided at Maran's residence and extended to his brother Kalanithi Maran's SUN TV channel to enable its uplinking when he was the Telecom Minister from 2004-07.