Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran. (File)
The Delhi High Court today sought a response from former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others on an Enforcement Directorate or ED plea against their discharge in the Aircel-Maxis case.
The ED on May 2 had moved the Delhi High Court challenging a special court's February 2 order discharging the Maran brothers and others in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.
The special court had said that the charges were based on "misreading of official files", speculation and surmises of the complainant.
Special Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI Judge OP Saini, while discharging the Maran brothers, had said that no prima facie case warranting framing of charges against any of the accused was made out on the basis of the material placed on record before it.
In the money laundering case, the ED had chargesheeted the Maran brothers, Kalanithi Maran's wife Kavery, Managing Director of South Asia FM Limited or SAFL K Shanmugam, SAFL, and Sun Direct TV Private Limited under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The special court, in two separate orders, had said that the case was based on the foundation that Dayanidhi Maran and then Additional Secretary (Telecom) JS Sarma deliberately delayed approval relating to several issues, including the issuance of Unified Access Services licences to Aircel, to force Chennai-based promoter C Sivasankaran to exit from the telecom sector.