[22CreessGah]

The Supreme Court, which is monitoring investigations into the 2G spectrum scam case, was approached by the main litigant NGO, the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, (CPIL), for extending the CBI investigation into the alleged role of former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in “coercing” a telecom company to offload its stake in favour of a Malaysia-based firm in a quid pro quo deal by the latter with Sun TV, a company owned by Maran’s family.

Prashant Bhushan, counsel for CPIL, in a fresh petition moved in the apex court also sought thorough investigation into the alleged role of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK supremo Karunanidhi’s two wives — Dayalu and Rajathiammal –— in the 2G scam case and sought the court’s permission to place on record “one document” against each of them, reflecting on their role.

Regarding the alleged role of Dayanidhi Maran, Bhushan referred to “five documents” he wanted to bring on record to show how as telecom minister in 2006 Maran had “harassed and pressurised” telecom company Aircel’s CEO C.

Sivasankaran to offload 74 per cent stakes in favour of Malaysian business tycoon T Ananda Krishnan’s company Maxis and in return Maxis investing `599.01 crore in Sun Direct.

As per the petition, Chennai-based company Aircel, owned by the Siva Group, had applied for Unified Access Service licence from 2004 onwards to the DoT.

“Dayanidhi Maran, as the then telecom minister, delayed the award of licence to the company by raising irrelevant issues from time to time and as on March 3, 2006, a total of 14 applications from Aircel were pending with the DoT.“

“Aircel owner Sivasankaran had been writing to Maran to resolve these issues, but nothing actually moved. Feeling harassed, he was forced into selling Aircel, In March 2006, Maxis group owned by Krishnan bought 74 per sent stake in Aircel. The company got the FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) approval in May 2006,” the petition said adding DoT issued 14 Letters of Intent to Aircel (soon after it was bought by Maxis) and all of them were converted into licences in December 2006.

CPIL also questioned the CBI’s earlier conclusions that Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu had no direct role in Kalaignar TV, a venture of the DMK supremo’s family, despite holding 60 per cent stakes and sought to place additional document relating to her role to show that she had been attending board meetings of Kalaignar TV and thus was an active director of the company, and, therefore could not merely be cited as a witness.

“It appears that Mrs Dayalu has been deliberately not made an accused by the CBI,” the petition said further questioning the agency’s probe giving “clean chit” to Karunanidhi’s third wife Rajathiammal, “wherein a clear case of quid pro quo has been established,” with regard to transfer of land in Chennai by a telecom company owned by a renowned industrial house.

“The land was transferred at much below the market price to the family of Karunanidhi and Rajathiammal’s conversation with (corporate) lobbyist Nirra Radia was intercepted” by the Income Tax department on the issue, the petition said adding that despite all this, the CBI had “cleared” Rajathiammal from the case.