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An application has been filed in the Supreme Court in the “2G spectrum allocation case” for a direction to the Centre to cancel the licence granted to the Chennai-based Kalaignar Television network.
Lawyer Mr S. Muthuraj of the AIADMK Legal wing has filed this application in the pending petition filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, in which the court is monitoring the investigation by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.
The petitioner contended that since the TV channel owned by the family of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, was promoted with funds from the tainted money of 2G spectrum scam, court should restrain the channel from telecasting any programme forthwith.
A Bench of Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice A.K. Ganguly is expected to take up this application for hearing on May 13.
The petitioner said the investigation by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate had revealed that about Rs 200 crore had flown back and forth between these network of frontal companies between the beneficiaries of the spectrum allocation and Kalaignar TV.
He said, “The chain of the ill-gotten money in suspicious manner in the allocation of spectrum bandwidth flows from the beneficiaries like Swan Technology to DB Realty, from DB Realty to Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables to Cineyug Films, and at last to Kalaignar TV Network. The money flow started seven days after the spectrum allocations were made by the former Telecom Minister, Mr A. Raja, and the so called repayment of loan also started immediately after the CBI started questioning Mr Raja.”
He said persons who allegedly looted the country should not be allowed to enjoy the harvest of their corrupt activities. He submitted that Kalaignar TV being in the eye of the storm ought not to be permitted to function as it would take all steps to scuttle the investigation by sending misleading information about the scandal, probably hampering the investigation process.
The petitioner pointed out that the Kalaignar TV was owned by the family of Mr Karunanidhi. His wife Ms Dayalu Ammal holding 60 per cent shares had been cited as a witness in the 2G case and the two accused including his daughter Ms Kanimozhi, Member of Parliament, and the Managing Director, Mr Sharad Kumar, were holding 20 per cent shares each.
He sought a direction to allow him to be impleaded in the case and to stop the channel from telecasting the programmes immediately.
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