Madras HC dismisses Maran Brothers' plea against property attachment by ED

The court rejected the plea by Kalanithi Maran, who is the promoter of Sun TV network and Kal Cables, to quash ED's order attaching properties worth Rs 750 crore owned by him and his brother Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Dayanidhi Maran, accused by the Enforcement Directorate of taking bribe for Aircel deal and laundering the money, had said that assets belonging to his family  have been illegally seized by the authorities.

Maran had said a sizable portion of his property and bank accounts seized by the ED is based on his earnings before the Aircel deal took place in 2007. The asset seized from him includes a fixed deposit worth Rs.100 crore.

He had been accused to taking Rs. 750 crore as bribe while he was Telecom Minister for manipulating the sale of telecom Aircel to Malayasia-based group Maxis.

Maran, however, had denied the charge saying the action against him is a "political vendetta."

In 2011, the CBI began investigating allegations that Maran, as a minister, had denied clearances and crucial licences to C Sivasankaran, the owner of Aircel, till the entrepreneur buckled under pressure to sell his firm to Maxis.

The CBI had told a Delhi court that in return, Maran and his brother Kalanithi received "illegal gratification" worth Rs 750 crore in companies owned by them as part of the Sun Group, a conglomerate of media firms owned by Kalanithi. Maran, who has also been charged in another criminal  case.