Malaysia bigwig stalling Aircel-Maxis case probe, CBI tells Supreme Court

[email protected] (The Hindu)
November 8, 2012

DayanidhiMaran

New Delhi, November 8: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that a politically and economically powerful person in Malaysia was stalling the probe into the foreign angle in the Aircel-Maxis case involving the former Union Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, and others.

Senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, told a Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan that the agency had completed the domestic investigation. Letters Rogatory had been sent to Malaysia and Mauritius to establish a link between the investments (in Sun Direct) made by the Maxis group and grant of licence to Aircel.

‘Prima facie nexus’

Even as counsel read out salient features of the latest status report on the probe, Justice Singhvi orally observed: “Allegations prima facie indicate a nexus. Six applications were filed for grant of spectrum but there was a deliberate delay in taking the decision. When the party sold [Aircel] licence was granted.”

Mr. Venugopal said: “We have to establish that Malaysia-based Maxis was the holding company of the Mauritius company through which investments were made. For establishing a nexus we have to know the source of funds and the link has to be established. Ten officials of FIPB [Foreign Investment Promotion Board] have also been examined.”

When Justice Radhakrishnan asked, “Do you feel any of the persons named in the FIR in the Maxis-Aircel case is delaying the investigation,” counsel said, “A politically and economically powerful person in Malaysia is delaying the probe. We have sent a Letter Rogatory and clarifications had also been given, but a further clarification had been sought from the CBI and they wanted to know whether there is any evidence, which is uncalled-for.”

He said the Mauritius government was extending full cooperation and the delay was on the part of Malaysia in giving information. To a question from the Bench, he said Malaysia was bound by the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, yet there was delay in its furnishing the information.

According to the First Information Report registered by the CBI last year, Sivasankaran (who had originally sought spectrum licence) was forced to sell Aircel. In March 2006, the Maxis group owned by Malaysian business tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan bought 74 per cent stake in Aircel. The company got FIPB approval in May 2006. In November 2006, the Department of Telecommunications issued to Aircel 14 Letters of Intent, all of which were converted into licences in December 2006. Within three months of this development, Mr. Maran’s family owned business (Sun Direct) received substantial investment from the Maxis Group (Aircel), which took 20 per cent equity. The FIPB approved this investment on March 2 and 19, 2007. The Maxis group invested a total of Rs 599.01 crore in Sun Direct between December 2007 and December 2009.

Arguments will continue on Thursday.

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Agencies
January 12,2020

Mumbai, Jan 12: Thousands of citizens on Sunday congregated in Mumbai's suburban Jogeshwari to oppose the new citizenship law, the proposed NRC and NPR.

They also condemned last Sunday's violence on the JNU campus in Delhi, where masked men ran riot and attacked students. Leftist organisations had claimed RSS-affiliated ABVP's role in the attack, a charge denied by the students' body.

Former Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) general secretary Fahad Ahmed told PTI that they assembled under the aegis of 'Hum Bharat Ke Log' in Millat Nagar area.

"Prime minister Narendra Modi should call 56 students from across the country to debate on the CAA, NRC and NPR," Ahmed said in an apparent jibe at Modi's "56 inch chest" remark, which the latter had made ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"Why the PM is not talking to us? Why is he not communicating? Even the Britishers used to talk to Indians whom they ruled, but our PM is not talking to poor people," he alleged.

Bollywood actor Sushasht Singh also spoke on the occasion.

"We are people of this country and such acts (CAA) are tarnishing the image of our country," he said.

At the gathering, people waved banners with slogans like "I Am From Gujarat, My Documents Burned in 2002", "No CAA, Boycott NRC, Stop Dividing India, Don't Divide us", "Save Constitution", written on them.

A large number of police personnel were present at the venue.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was notified on January 10, grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities migrated to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014, following persecution over their faith.

Massive protests were witnessed against the CAA, mainly by the student community, since its passage by Parliament in December last year.

Opposition parties have been dubbing the CAA an "anti-Muslim" legislation, a charge being debunked by the government.

The Congress and other parties like the TMC have also opposed the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

Union home minister Amit Shah has said that the government won't rest until persecuted refugees are granted Indian citizenship.

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Thirteen firefighters were among the 14 people injured when a battery factory collapsed in northwest Delhi's Peera Garhi following an explosion due to a fire that broke out early on Thursday morning, officials said.

A fire brigade personnel still remained trapped under the debris of the building in Udyog Nagar area, an official said.

A large portion of the two-storey building collapsed following an explosion when firefighters were dousing the blaze, the official said, adding that fire department had received a call at 4.23am.

Plumes of smoke billowed out from the building as the fire brigade personnel battled to contain the blaze. An eyewitness said several explosions were heard as the blaze gutted down the building.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and civil authorities rushed to the spot to control the situation, an official said, adding that 35 fire tenders were at the spot.

The injured, including a security guard of the factory, were rushed to nearby hospitals, a police officer said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was monitoring the situation.

"V sad to hear this. Am closely monitoring the situation. Fire personnel trying their best. Praying for the safety of those trapped," Kejriwal tweeted.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Mar 5: The fourteen Italians, who have tested positive for coronavirus, have been shifted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from an ITBP quarantine centre.

The hospital issued a statement on Thursday morning, saying these patients are housed on a completely separate floor, which has been quarantined and has no contact with the rest of the hospital.

There is a dedicated medical team wearing protective gear looking after these patients.All items used on the floor are isolated to that floor.

The isolated floor will completely contain the disease even with these asymptomatic persons. All other hospital operations are operating as normal, and there is no increased risk to patients, visitors or staff, the statement said.

Twenty-one Italian tourists and their three Indian tour operators were shifted out from an ITBP quarantine centre here on Wednesday as they were exposed to novel coronavirus.

An affected Italian couple is being treated at Jaipur's SMS medical college.

Officials on Tuesday said the foreigners have been sent to a private hospital in Gurgaon and a centre in the national capital while the Indians have been transferred to the Safdarjung Hospital.

Fourteen Italians and an Indian (driver), who were in the same group as the affected Italian couple, tested positive for the virus as per information provided by the Health Ministry.

The Italian tourists and three Indians were admitted to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force centre in Chhawla on Tuesday.

The Centre already has 112 people, 76 Indians and 36 foreigners, since February 27 after they were evacuated by an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane from China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus.

The first samples of these 112 people had tested negative when reports came in last week.

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