Aircel-Maxis case: Marans, six others summoned as accused

Four firms — Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd, Maxis Communication Berhad, Astro All Asia Network PLC and South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd have also been summoned.

A special court on Wednesday summoned former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi and six others, as accused in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal case.

Special CBI Judge OP Saini, taking cognisance of the CBI’s charge sheet filed against the accused, has summoned the Maran brothers, Malaysia-based businessman T Ananda Krishnan and the director of Malaysian conglomerate Maxis Ralph Marshall on March 2, 2015.

Four firms — Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd, Maxis Communication Berhad, Astro All Asia Network PLC and South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd have also been summoned.

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“I have carefully gone through the copy of the FIR, charge sheet, statement of witnesses and related documents comprised in the voluminous record of the case. On the perusal of the

record, I am satisfied that there is enough incriminating material on record to proceed against the accused. Accordingly, I take cognisance of the case,” the Special Judge said.

The court has also allowed the contention of the public prosecutor that at least four months may be granted for effecting service of summons on the accused – as five of the eight are residing in different countries like Malaysia, Mauritius and the United Kingdom while the remaining three are based in Chennai.

Kaunain Sheriff M

Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health. His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award. Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time. Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More