Supreme Court to hear ED's plea in Aircel-Maxis case today

The Patiala House Court has discharged Dayanidhi and Kalanithi Maran in the case

The Supreme Court will hear the Aircel-Maxis case on Wednesday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 3 had moved the Apex Court against the special court's order on the case, which discharged the Maran brothers and other accused without furnishing the bail bond properly.

The ED also urged the court to not release the properties attached in the case.

The Patiala House Court discharged former communications minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran after it found insufficient evidence to prosecute them.

The Maran brothers were accused by investigating agencies of helping Malaysian group Maxis in acquiring Aircel in exchange for a kickback of approximately Rs 700 crore.

The court also discharged Kalanithi's wife Kavery Kalanithi, South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL) Managing Director K Shanmugam and two companies – SAFL and Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL) – in two different cases.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on December 19, 2016, deferred pronouncing its orders against the Maran brothers and others to December 22.

A special 2G court had earlier, on September 17 last year, dismissed the applications filed by the ex-telecom minister and his brother challenging its jurisdiction to try the Aircel-Maxis deal case in which they have been summoned as accused.

Pronouncing the order, the court had then said, "There is no manner of doubt that by the standard of subject matter and periodicity of alleged crime, the case fairly/squarely falls within the description/designation of the 2G scam."

The Maran brothers challenged the jurisdiction of the special 2G court in both cases lodged by the ED and the CBI.

The ED alleged that two firms, SAFL and SDTPL, had received Rs 742.58 crore as "proceeds of crime" from Mauritius-based firms and that the two firms were then allegedly controlled by Kalanithi Maran.