Headlines
Madras HC rejects Sun TV's plea against asset attachment
Chennai, June 10
The Madras High Court on
Wednesday dismissed the petitions filed by Sun TV and Kal Cables for
quashing the asset attachment order issued by the Directorate of
Enforcement (ED) in connection with the Aircel-Maxis case.
Dismissing the petition, the court held that the company can approach the Supreme Court.
Counsel
for ED argued that the matter is being monitored by the Supreme Court
and hearing of the matter by any other court would impede the
investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The
petitioners contended that the properties attached were acquired much
before the alleged crime and were not in any way connected with the
alleged crime.
On April 1, the ED said in the Aircel-Maxis case
it has attached properties worth Rs.742.58 crore belonging to Sun TV's
principal promoter Kalanithi Maran, his wife Kaveri Kalanithi and his
brother Dayanidhi Maran, who was a minister in the previous United
Progress Alliance (UPA) government.
The CBI has argued in the
courts that Dayanidhi Maran used his influence to help Malaysian
businessmen T. Ananda Krishnan to buy Aircel by coercing its owner C.
Sivasankaran to part with his stake.
Sivasankaran alleged that
Dayanidhi Maran favoured the Maxis Group in the takeover of his firm. He
also alleged that the company made investments through Astro Network in
a firm purportedly owned by the Marans.
Four companies -- the
Chennai-based Sun Direct TV, Britain-based Astro All Asia Networks,
Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia, and the South Asia
Entertainment Holdings of Mauritius -- have also been named in charge
sheet filed on August 29, 2014, by the CBI.
The CBI said there
was sufficient evidence to prosecute the accused, and booked all of them
on the charges of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
as well as the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
On
April 1, the ED said its probe revealed that illegal gratification of
Rs.742.58 crore was paid by the companies based in Mauritius, meant for
Dayanidhi Maran, in two companies -- Sun Direct TV Pvt. Ltd. (SDTPL) and
South Asia FM Ltd. (SAFL).
The main shareholder of the SAFL is
Sun TV Network with 60 percent, while 20 percent each is with A.H.
Multisoft Pvt. Ltd. and South Asia Multimedia Technologies Ltd.,
Mauritius.