In a big setback to the Maran brothers, Madras High Court on Wednesday quashed the trial court’s Discharge Order giving a clean chit to Dayanidhi Maran and Kalanidhi Maran for installing illegal telephone exchange. Terming the trial court’s order as “erroneous, illegal and pervasive”, the Madras High Court also ordered to Frame Charges against Maran brothers, the DMK patriarch Karunanidhi’s nephews within 12 weeks and immediate starting of the trial procedures.
The illegal telephone exchange by Maran brothers was exposed by the noted journalist and auditor S. Gurumurthy in 2011[1]. In mid-2005, the then Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran abused his power by installing 764 telephone lines at his family run TV channel Sun TV Group by illegally linking from his home to TV headquarters.
The detailed order by Justice G Jayachandran on Wednesday exposes the dishonest Discharge Order of the trial court in an open shut case[2]. Gurumurthy after exposing the blatant fraud by Maran brothers approached Supreme Court in 2012 and CBI, at last, agreed to file a First Information Report (FIR) in 2013. But the agency was under pressure and at several stages, the investigations faced roadblocks, even after the NDA Government came to power in mid-2014. Later by mid-2015 the CBI filed a charge sheet but avoided the arrest of Marans for custodial interrogation.
In its charge sheet, the CBI said Dayanidhi Maran misused his official position and got private telephone exchanges installed at his residences in Chennai which were used for business transactions of the Sun Network. Kalanithi Maran, a billionaire businessman, is the chairman and founder of the Sun Group, which owns several media houses.
According to the CBI, over 700 high-end telecommunication lines were installed at their residences in Boat Club and Gopalapuram areas of the city for which bills were not raised, causing the exchequer a loss of Rs.1.78 crores. Gurumurthy had criticised CBI for not reporting properly about the loss to the exchequer. Maran brothers were also caught for meeting the tainted former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha at his home during night hours.
The special CBI court had on March 14 discharged the two Maran brothers and five other accused, holding there was no prima facie case against them. The other accused are former BSNL general manager K Brahmanathan, former deputy general manager M P Velusamy, Dayanidhi Maran’s private secretary Gauthaman and some Sun TV officials.
Now with the High Court’s Order, Marans are again in a soup and will have to face a trial.
References:
[1] With 764, Not 323 High Speed Lines, the Maran Loot is Huge, Stupid and More – 2011, New Indian Express
[2] Erroneous, Illegal, Perverse: Madras HC sets aside discharge of Maran bros in Telephone Exchange case – Jul 25, 2018, BarAndBench.com
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The order says “erroneous, illegal and perverse”. Your report uses the world “pervasive” instead of “perverse”. Poor editing.
In this almost 5 years of Modi Govt:
(1) All CBI cases against the UPA main Mafia leaders have been quashed except some unknown leaders & Officials in COALGATE
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(2) For some strange & inexplicable reasons, the main culprit Manmohan was not even charge sheeted in COALGATE
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(3) Judiciary has been extremely inactive (or favorable to MA-BETA?) that the MAIN TRIAL has not even commenced in the NH Scam
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(4) The rot within CBI is deepening further with more of Asthana’s gang members being inducted
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(5) CBI, CVC, Public Prosecutors have become more focused in protecting the UPA Mafia
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(6) Arun Jaitley the villain behind all these skullduggeries is still continuing? in the Ministry
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IMAGINE THE SITUATION THAT WOULD BE AFTER LS-2019, IF NDA FAILS TO MUSTER A MAJORITY TO FORM A GOVERNMENT!!!
The real loss will be in the Billions of dollars if not more as SUN TV got a footing in markets outside India only after BSNL exchange. So all revenue ccrued from foreign markets should also be factored in the loss
Pubic Servants are taking hefty salary and post retirement benefits only to go against the country’s interest and sideline with criminals and all institutions in India have been inflicted with corruption and dishonesty. Government Servants at any levels should work in the interest of the Nation as a reciprocative gesture of their recognition in the society and remuneration they receive otherwise it will tantamount to betrayal of the country which is the worst form of terrorism. All high profile corruption cases should be directly tried by Supreme Court with a bench and there should not be any appeal. Repeated adjournments and bails on frivolous grounds frustrates the process of legal action. Once a accused is convicted for any criminal offence, he should undergo the punishment pending appeal.
Of course a good news but if such cases are not dealt by Fast Track Courts there won’t be any meaningful outcome.
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Since these cases are based fully on DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCES, a verdict on such a type of case should not take more than 2 months
Our motherland will not survive or flourish if our agency CBI have dishonest people like Ranjit Sinha,BSNL GMs and some lower cadres.They must face punitive action with economic punishment under crpc like stoppage of pension and terminal benefits.Actually they need have govt benefits as they are well settle with hefty rewards from the tainted corporate.
CBI had been converted into Congress Bachao Institution by the UPA Mafia led by Chidambaram. The shocking truth even today CBI remains so. It is absolutely impossible to obtain a conviction of any UPA gang member from any of the CBI Courts
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The HCs & the SC are no better. Many of them are still under the PAYROLL of the UPA Mafia
WE must thank the Madras high court for this. Recently they passed another judgement banning Namaz on busy streets as many nations have done that already. The center is having another problem as most of the judges are leftists and pro congress. Look how the delhi collegium of comrades is asking the center to appoint one Mr Joseph, one of the youngest judges as supreme court judge. Important cases against Sonia Rahul Vadra are getting delayed. Chidambaram som is out of the country fixing all the accounts and what not. Now the congress wants to attack the govt for all the great defense deals with France and other countries. This means they feel with the support of anti Modi Anti Hindu media and press they can get some sympathy and confuse the people with false narratives on the govt. A murder of a Muslim who was selling cows to beef sellers is getting max coverage while murder of a dalit boy in a love affair with a muslim girl is not getting any place. what a tragedy.
Very happy to know that at last wrong diets are going to be punished.
It was an open secret how the Maran brothers misused powers just like their DMK counterparts kanimozhi and raja..in 2G… N their family in looting resources of tamilnadu…
You might escape sometime but not always.
Whatever bad you do today comes multifold in future.
Congratulations to Gurumurthy sir for his persistent efforts.
UPA came to power only in 2004 and immediately the next year 2005 if sun brothers were able to do such a big thing imagine the power they might have exercised in UPA which is a fraudulent government by Sonia.
Congress n DMK at any cost should be wiped out from politics for a developed, honest India. Thank you Gurumurthy sir , high court judges who issued strict orders and thank you Modi ji for ensuring justice. People of Tamil nadu will be happy that atleast justice will win… However powerful a person be…
Be it Chidambaram or Maran brothers or 2g (expecting similar verdicts in that major scam also)
God is above all powers and ill-doers will be punished sooner or later but definitely.
Justice is still there. The honest work of intrepid journalists & analysts like S Gurumurthy should not go unrewarded! (India Today refers to Gurumurthy as “RSS Ideologue”-whenever they interview him on TV)So one more check mark against UPA