Illegal telephone exchange case: Orders reserved on Maran brothers' plea

The Madras High Court on Thursday reserved its order on the petitions filed by Maran brothers challenging the framing of charges against them and others by a CBI court in the alleged illegal telephone exchange case.

Justice AD Jagadish Chandira reserved the order following conclusion of arguments.

A CBI court had in August framed charges and ordered trial of former Union Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and others in the case of alleged setting up of "illegal" telephone exchanges to benefit the Sun TV Network of his elder brother Kalanithi Maran during 2004-06.

Special Judge R Vasanthi framed the charges over a month after the Madras High Court quashed the CBI court's earlier order discharging all the accused.

The Maran brothers have sought quashing of the charges against them.

The charges date back to the time when Dayanidhi Maran, a grandnephew of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi, was the Union minister for telecommunications and information technology in the UPA-1 government.

The CBI has alleged that he misused his official position and got private telephone exchanges installed at his various residences here which were used for business transactions of the Sun Network.

The high court had on July 25 held there were 'heaps' of material evidence against the accused and had directed the special court to frame charges and conclude the trial within a year.

The bench had given its order on a CBI plea challenging the discharge of the accused by Special Judge S Natarajan on March 14 this year.