CBI to probe illegal telephone lines at Maran’s house

NEW DELHI: CBI will start a formal probe into allegations that over 300 telephone lines were allotted to the residence of then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in Chennai and illegally linked with a television channel owned by his brother.
These 323 residential lines were in the name of BSNL general manager and connected Maran's Boat House residence with the office of Sun TV through a dedicated underground cable, CBI sources said.
The agency had recommended action to the telecom secretary in 2007 but the department did not give its nod, the sources said. CBI has now decided to file a preliminary inquiry against unknown persons, they added.
Sources said these lines were not ordinary telephone lines but costly ISDN, capable of carrying huge data, which facilitated faster transmission of TV news and programmes across the globe. CBI, in its report to the telecom secretary, had said these lines were used by commercial enterprises to meet special needs such as video conferencing and transmission of huge volume of digital data for which heavy price was paid. However, it had alleged that Sun TV got it for free because of Maran.
The agency said this virtual exchange was programmed in such a way that except "authorised BSNL staff" no one in the state-owned telecom company was aware of its existence.
CBI alleged that a stealth cable was used to connect the residence of the minister with Sun TV office to give an impression that these lines were for the minister but actually they were used by the channel.