SC refuses to intervene in court order on Marans

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to intervene in a special CBI court’s order that discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and others in the Aircel-Maxis case. The apex court also allowed release of their attached properties worth Rs 750 crore.

“The substantive part of the crime has gone (with their discharge), then this Rs 750 crore properties is not proceeds of crime... It is too trivial matter,” a bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar told special public prosecutor, senior advocate Anand Grover, who contended that the trial court should not release bail bonds of the accused till the appeals were decided.

The apex court, however, indicated that it may ask the Union government to auction the spectrum allotted to telecom company Aircel if its Malaysia-based owners continued to evade summons in the case.  The auction would help in clearing the firm’s Rs 20,000 crore debts to a State Bank of India-led consortium of banks, it said.

The court noted that despite the apex court's order of January 6, T Ananda Krishnan, the owner of Malaysian company Maxis which controlled stakes in Aircel, and another official Ralph Marshall failed to appear before it.