Illegal Telephone exchange case: Maran brothers seek deferment of framing of charges

Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi today moved a CBI court seeking deferment of framing of charges against them in the illegal telephone exchange case, saying several documents submitted by the probe agency were illegible.

Issuing notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the applications filed by the Maran brothers, XIV Special Judge for CBI cases here S Natarajan adjourned the matter to August 11 for further hearing.

The case related to alleged misuse of 764 high-speed data lines of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) at the residence of DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran, when he was the telecom minister between 2004 and 2007.

The CBI has alleged that the data lines were utilised for SUN TV, owned by Kalanithi, and no bills were raised, causing a loss of Rs 1.78 crore to the exchequer.

In the charge sheet filed in the court in December last year, the CBI has also named Kalanithi, the managing director of Sun TV Network Limited, two then chief general managers of the BSNL, two executives of TV network and an aide of Dayanidhi.

When the matter came up for hearing today, Dayanidhi appeared in the court while Kalanithi moved a memo under the relevant CrPC (criminal procedure code) section seeking dispensing with his appearance, citing health reasons.

In the applications, the Maran brothers claimed that more than 20 documents provided by the CBI along with the charge sheet in the case, were illegible.

They requested the judge to postpone framing of charges till legible documents were provided to them.

Kalanithi also moved another application seeking that his appearance before the court should be permnently dispensed with in the case.