2G scam: NGO in dock for giving clean chit to Dayanidhi Maran
Maran has been accused by the CBI of coercing a Chennai-based promoter to sell his stakes in Aircel to Malaysian firm Maxis in 2006.
The Supreme Court has sought explanation from Anil Kumar, secretary of Telecom Watchdog, an NGO, for writing to the CBI and publishing an article in a magazine giving a “virtual clean chit” to former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in the Maxis deal.
Maran has been accused by the CBI of “coercing” a Chennai-based promoter to sell his stakes in Aircel to Malaysian firm Maxis in 2006.
Kumar, in his letter, turned C Sivasankaran, former chairman of Aircel, from a victim to an accused by charging him with framing up a story for extraneous considerations.
Telecom Watchdog had filed petition along with another NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, in the telecom scam.
“After going through the contents of the letter written to the CBI, Kumar, Secretary of the Telecom Watchdog, is directed to show as to under what circumstance he wrote a letter dated February 5, 2012 virtually exonerating Maran and accusing Sivasankaran, who has been shown as victim in earlier applications, within seven days,” a bench of justices GS Singhvi and KS Radhakrishnan said.
The CBI contended that Kumar’s conduct amounts to interference with the probe in the 2G scam. Taking serous note of Kumar’s letter, the judges said, “CBI should treat it (letter) as a scrap of paper which is to be thrown in the dustbin.”
The judges on Wednesday recorded the submission made by CBI’s counsel KK Venugopal. He argued that the bonafide of CPIL and the scribe was not in doubt but the manner in which Kumar conducted himself make the motive behind the PIL “highly doubtful”.