CBI, ED told to file status report

The bench adjourned the case as Mittal’s counsel Harish Salve was not available for arguments and he had requested for deferment.

The Supreme court Wednesday directed the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to file the latest probe reports on the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2G scam, allegedly involving former telecom minister Dayaninidhi Maran, in a week.

A bench of Justices H L Dattu and K S Radhakrishnan told the counsel for the agencies that they had not disclosed the latest status of the probe and ordered them to do so before the next date of hearing, May 1.

On the next date, the bench will also consider vacating its stay on trial proceedings against business honchos Sunil Mittal and Ravikant Ruia in an off-shoot of the 2G case. This case relates to grant of additional spectrum. “We understand that progress in the case (trial) has not been made after our interim order. We would hear whether to continue with the interim order or not on the next date,” the bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for the petitioner NGO CPIL.

The bench adjourned the case as Mittal’s counsel Harish Salve was not available for arguments and he had requested for deferment.

The CBI had started preliminary inquiry into Aircel-Maxis deal on January 4, 2011 and nine months later on October 9 had registered the FIR. The CBI had told the apex court in September last year that it has completed its probe against Maran in the case. In July 2011, it placed a status report stating that during 2004-07 when Maran was telecom minister, Sivasankaran was coerced to sell the stake in Aircel to Maxis Group.

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