Sun TV group's Direct-to- home (DTH) business in a fix.

[SarFa]

A day after the Maran
brothers - Kalanithi Maran
and Dayanidhi Maran -
promoted Kal Cables Pvt
Ltd got a breather from the
Madras High Court, fresh
trouble has started for
them as well as for their
direct-to-home (DTH)
business.
The Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) Friday
filed a charge sheet in a
Delhi court against the
Maran brothers and Sun
Direct TV, the company
which offers DTH service to
around nine million
subscribers.
The charge sheet, booking
them for criminal
conspiracy and under the
Prevention of Corruption
Act in the Aircel-Maxis deal,
was filed before special CBI
Judge O.P. Saini, who will
hear the matter Sep 11.
The matter relates to sale
of mobile telephony
operator Aircel to Maxis,
owned by T. Ananda
Krishnan, in 2006 wherein
Aircel's original owner C.
Sivasankaran had alleged
that he was pressured to
sell as his firm was denied
licences.
The CBI has alleged quid
pro quo saying that in
return, the Malaysian
company invested around
Rs.650 crore in Sun Direct,
owned by the Maran family.
According to the website of
Sun Direct, a joint venture
between the Sun TV group
and Malaysia's Maxis group,
it has over nine million
subscribers and started
operations in 2007.
Sun TV group's TV transmission business in a fix | Business Standard News