New Delhi, Jan. 11 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging misuse of public office by former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran.
The petition alleges that Maran had set up a BSNL exchange in Chennai and routed the lines to SUN TV offices. The PIL also seeks an investigation against Maran.
Advocate Ravi Kumar Sharma said that the petitioner, Swaminathan Gurumurthy, had alleged that Maran had illegally installed 323 phone lines to benefit his family-owned television network.
"The Supreme Court on the Public Interest Litigation filed by Swaminathan Gurumurthy issued notice to CBI and BSNL. The matter related to smuggling and creation of fake exchange at behest of Mr. Maran (Dayanidhi Maran). What he did was when he was telecom minister, he got 323 lines installed at his boat club house in Chennai in the name of CGM (General Manager), BSNL and then these 323 lines were smuggled to Sun TV network," he said.
The advocate further said that the fraud has caused a loss of 4.4 billion rupees.
"These 323 lines were used by Sun TV to satisfy the data requirements of Sun TV. It has caused a loss of 440 crores to the national exchequer and so in our petition we have asked the Supreme Court to direct CBI as the matter got sabotaged, so CBI initiated the investigation and then sabotaged it, maybe under political pressure so we made a petition to Supreme Court and have asked the Supreme Court to please see that the matter gets investigated and Mr. Maran along with other co-conspirators get prosecuted in this matter," he said.
Maran has also been under scrutiny over the Aircel Maxis deal. (ANI)
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