New Delhi: The Supreme Court was yesterday told that there were difference within the CBI on whether to proceed against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran for alleged acts of wrongdoing, including quid pro quo in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Though the status report on its investigation into the allegation of wrongdoing and quid pro quo against Maran was submitted in a sealed cover, it was revealed that the investigating officer, his supervisor and the joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were for launching prosecution against him but CBI Director Ranjit Sinha holds a contrary view.
Following the difference in opinion, the matter was sent to Attorney General G E Vahanvati in November 2013 but so far he has not given an opinion, said CBI sources.
The sources said that since November, the file seeking the attorney general’s opinion was sent to him thrice but he is yet to respond.
The court was also told that the offshore investigation into the Aircel-Maxis deal has got grounded as the Malaysian government has said there was nothing against T Ananda Krishnan — the owner of Maxis which bought Aircel from its original owner Sivasankaran.
Counsel K K Venugopal, appearing for the CBI, told the court that the Malaysian government declined to part with any information saying “no criminality of Ananda Krishnan who owns the company (Maxis) has been established”. Sivasankaran gave six applications seeking spectrum for Aircel but they were not entertained by the department of telecommunications under then minister Dayanidhi Maran but things started moving soon after he offloaded his entire stake in Aircel and sold it to Maxis.
The CBI has investigated whether Sivasankaran was forced by Maran to sell his entire stake in Aircel to Malaysia-based Maxis owned by Ananda Krishnan and the allegations of quid pro quo.
After Sivasankaran sold his stake to Maxis, a Mauritius company made a big investment in the Maran-family-owned Sun Direct channel. IANS
