Aircel Maxis case: Subramanian Swamy to present case against Chidambaram in SC

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The hearing in the Aircel-Maxis case will continue in the Supreme Court on 3 February, where the main plaintiff - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, will present his case of an illegality been committed by the then finance minister P. Chidambaram in granting FIPB clearance to the Rs 3,500 crore deal in 2006.

This comes after a Special CBI Court discharged former Telecommunications minister, Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran, Kalanithi's wife Kavery Kalanithi, South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL) Managing Director K. Shanmugam and two companies -- SAFL and Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL) in two different cases due to lack of evidence.

However, Swamy had downplayed the verdict given, stating that the main case of 'illegal' Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance given to the firm is pending in the Supreme Court on Friday.

Swamy has asserted that Chidambaram had committed illegality while granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to Rs 3500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006.

"They were charged with a petty crime of having arm-twisting Sivasankaran, on that they have been led free. But the main case of illegal Foreign Investment Board Promotion clearance given by Chidambaram, which is my case coming up before the Supreme Court tomorrow, there Mr. Maran is a co-conspirator. That case is the main case. Now let the CBI appeal against this order and tag it along with my case and then we will get some results," Swamy told ANI.

The Patiala High Court on 16 November had also reserved its order, but had to defer it six times as documents were extremely voluminous, old, dusty, technical and complex in nature.

In August 2014, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Maran brothers, alleging that Dayanidhi Maran used his influence to help Krishnan buy Aircel by coercing its owner Sivasankaran to part with his stake.

Sivasankaran alleged that Dayanidhi Maran favoured the Maxis Group in the takeover of his company.

In return, Maran alleged that the company made investments through Astro Network in a company stated to be owned by the Maran family. The chargesheet was filed under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

-ANI