Aircel-Maxis Case: Public prosecutor withdraws plea from SC

Special Public Prosecutor Anand Grover on Wednesday withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court discharged the Maran brothers in the Aircel-Maxis case.

A bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar had earlier asked Grover, to prove the charges against the accused to make out a case.

The apex court asked Grover, whether he would approach the Delhi High Court as it was the order which was passed by the lower court to which he withdrew his petition.

The apex court hinted that there was nothing left in the case, when the Special CBI Court had on February 2, discharged almost all the accused in the case citing lack of evidence. Grover had pleaded the apex court to hear his contentions in the Aircel-Maxis deal case

The Patiala House court discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran after it found insufficient evidence to prosecute them.

Maran brothers were accused by investigating agencies of helping Malaysian group Maxis to acquire Aircel in exchange for a kickback of approximately Rs 700 crore.

The court also discharged Kalanithi’s wife Kavery Kalanithi, South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL) managing director K Shanmugam and two companies — SAFL and Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL) in two different cases.

A CBI court, on December 19, 2016, had deferred pronouncing its orders against the Maran brothers and others to December 22.

A special 2G court had, in September 17, 2016, dismissed the applications filed by the ex-telecom minister and his brother, challenging its jurisdiction to try the Aircel-Maxis deal case in which they have been summoned as accused.

Pronouncing the order, the court had then said, “There is no manner of doubt that by the standard of subject matter and periodicity of alleged crime, the case fairly/squarely falls within the description/designation of the 2G scam.”

The Maran brothers challenged the jurisdiction of the special 2G court in both cases lodged by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

The Enforcement Directorate alleged that two firms, South Asia FM Limited (SAFL) and Sun Direct TV Private Ltd. (SDTPL), had received Rs 742.58 crore as “proceeds of crime” from Mauritius-based firms and that the two firms were then allegedly controlled by Kalanithi Maran.