Maran brothers, five others discharged by CBI court in illegal BSNL telephone exchange case
The CBI said it will challenge the order in the High Court.
A Central Bureau of Investigation court in Chennai on Wednesday discharged former Union Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran – the owner of Sun TV – and five others in the BSNL illegal telephone exchange case. The court said that the prosecutors had failed to prove their case.
The CBI said it will move the High Court against the order, PTI reported.
In February, the CBI opposed the discharge petitions that the accused had filed, saying there was prima facie material to proceed against them, The Indian Express reported.
BSNL illegal telephone exchange case: Kalanithi Maran, Dayanidhi Maran and five others have been discharged by CBI court from the case today. Court said the prosecution failed to prove the case.
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018
In 2013, the CBI accused Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Dayanidhi Maran of abusing his official position and causing a loss Rs 1.78 crore to the public exchequer. The agency filed a chargesheet in the case on December 9, 2016. The former minister allegedly installed at least 364 high-end telecommunication facilities at one of his residences. Of those, Sun TV had used 323 telephone facilities between 2004 and 2007 to uplink the channel, the CBI claimed.
