The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has filed a reply petition with a Chennai Court requesting it not to ‘relieve’ the high-flying Maran brothers from the BSNL scam which broke out during the decade long rule from 2004-14 at the Centre by the Congress-led UPA regime and when Dayandhi Maran was holding the Union Telecommunication portfolio.

The case relates to allotment on ‘priority basis’ by BSNL (which was under the control of Dayanidhi Maran) to Sun Group (owned by his younger brother and Sun TV baron Kalanidhi Maran) and running of a ‘private telephone exchange’ by the former Union Minister from his Boatclub residence in Adyar, Chennai. Maran has been accused of misusing his official capacity/power as a Union Minister.

It also turned out that underground HT cables were laid, flouting the rules, to connect the nearby BSNL office to Maran’s Boatclub residence to as to give him the ‘advantage’ in connecting anywhere in the world over phone. It was accused that the scam had brought crores and crores of losses to the public exchequer.  Cases were filed against the Maran brothers, Dayanidhi’s secretary Gauthaman, Sun TV’s technical officer Kannan and electrician Ravi.

When the 14th Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Chennai took up the cases of the accused requesting that they be relieved from the case, Justice Natarajan asked them to file additional documents to the CBI’s plea no to ‘relieve’ them from the case. The next hearing has been postponed to 21st November.