Aircel-Maxis: Court grants CBI time to obtain sanction to prosecute accused

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted two months time to the CBI for obtaining sanction from authorities concerned to prosecute certain accused in a case against former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti for alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.

The agency had on July 19 filed charge sheet against the Congress leader, his son Karti, 10 individuals, including public servants, and six companies as accused in the case.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini allowed agency's request to grant time after senior advocate Sonia Mathur told the court that sanctions are awaited.

"Adjourn the matter for October 1," the court said.

Mathur, who appeared on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation, told the court that the agency was expecting sanctions for prosecution from concerned authorities in about four weeks.

The CBI is probing as to how Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.

The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500-crore and the INX Media case involving Rs 3.05 billion.

In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted an FIPB approval in March, 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis.

The Maran brothers and the other accused named in the CBI charge sheet were discharged by the special court, which had said the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial.