New Delhi: CBI does not rule out questioning
former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in connection with
spectrum allocation during his tenure in UPA-I government.
But that is likely to take place after agency finds it
fit to register a regular case by filing an FIR in July this
year, sources said on Tuesday in the context of media reports of
alleged irregularities in spectrum allocation to Aircel when
Maran was telecom minister between 2005-07.
CBI is looking into financial transactions of Sun TV,
owned by Maran family, and Malaysia-based Maxis. It is also
looking into various aspects of takeover of Aircel by Maxis
group, they said.
"CBI has already registered a preliminary enquiry on
issues in 2G spectrum allocation between 2001-07 and is
actively looking into matter," CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra
said when asked whether Maran could be questioned for alleged
irregularities during his tenure.
According to laid down procedure, CBI registers a
Preliminary Enquiry upon receiving any complaint and when
anything substantial is discovered this enquiry is converted
into a Regular Case.
Former telecom minister Arun Shourie, who held the charge
between 2003-04, has already been questioned by the CBI on
February 25 in detail about the allocation of telecom airwaves
during his tenure but the agency "so far" has not found
anything against him, they said.
The agency has registered a preliminary enquiry against
"unknown persons" on Supreme Court's directive to detect any
alleged anomaly in 'first-come-first-served' of Cabinet during
spectrum allocation between 2001-07.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, June 01, 2011, 00:51