C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Hansraj Saxena is a bitter man. One of the close confidante of Media
moghul Kalanidhi Maran, Saxena is no longer the darling of Maran
brothers – Kalanidhi and former Union minister Dayanidhi.
Dumped by his mentors and facing 22 cases, most of which he claims is
flimsy, the former chief operating officer of Sun Pictures is proving
to be a vital witness for Central Bureau Investigation in the
clandestine operation of a telephone exchange from former Union
Telecom and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran’s house in Chennai.
Saxena, who was the former Sun TV vice president (programming), has
been quizzed several times by the CBI in Delhi and Chennai as the
investigation by CBI which was nearly kept pending during the UPA
regime gained pace after the Narendra Modi government took over.
Saxena, who spent more than two months in custody in 2011 for
allegedly defrauding a movie distributor, parted ways with his mentor
who did not back him up during the troubled time. “I had paid the
amount. Kalanidhi knew about it. Yet he was silent,” said Saxena.
And now he has become a crucial witness along with Former Kalaignar TV
managing director and a former senior executive of Sun Network Sharad
Kumar in the illegal telephone exchange scam. Kumar, who had shifted
his allegiance to former chief minister M Karunanidhi family after the
Marans split with their relatives, bore the brunt after the patch-up
in the family.
“Do you want my other leg to be broken. They can barge in even during
midnight,” a scared Kumar told Express when asked about his
whereabouts in Chennai, to attend the CBI investigation.
Interestingly, it is learnt Kumar is spilling the beans against his
previous bosses to CBI in New Delhi with regard to the alleged illegal
telephone exchange. While both Saxena and Kumar don’t have the
technical expertise on how the exchange was set. Saxena says it was
chief technical officer Kannan who the brain in setting up the
exchange, which helped boost Sun TVs quality of programming.
But then the CBI investigation itself is under the scanner. It is
nearly seven years since the scam was brought to light but then
investigation had hardly progressed except the case getting
transferred from Chennai Central Bureau of Investigation to New Delhi.
Interestingly, an earlier preliminary inquiry by Chennai CBI had found
out that a telephone exchange did exist in Maran's residence in
Chennai and it was linked using ISDN lines and the exchange in turn
was hooked to the offices of Sun TV. But these connections were in the
name of the chief general manager of BSNL, Chennai, and were
designated as official use connections
Interestingly, CBI in Chennai was close to filing an FIR against and
letter was also sent recommending action against the Marans. But it
was in 2009 when the family patched up and Raja was made
telecommunication minister, the CBI letter recommending action against
the Marans was put in cold storage besides investigation being
transferred from Chennai to New Delhi.
And for the next 44 months, CBI slept on the file. It was only after
noted columnist and economist S Gurumurthy filed a public interest
litigation that the premier investigation agency woke up and started
investigating the case.
Interestingly, the issue has been raked by Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa when she was the opposition leader. With DMK being an
ally of UPA government, the investigation never picked up and now with
the Modi regime taking over, it is believed the government would
initiate action about Rs 440 crore loss to the exchequer.
A source told Express that it was just an open and shut case. All they
have to check is whether the cables as well as the lines exist besides
quizzing BSNL officials on whose permission this special privilege was
accorded to Marans.
Chennai:
Hansraj Saxena is a bitter man. One of the close confidante of Media
moghul Kalanidhi Maran, Saxena is no longer the darling of Maran
brothers – Kalanidhi and former Union minister Dayanidhi.
Dumped by his mentors and facing 22 cases, most of which he claims is
flimsy, the former chief operating officer of Sun Pictures is proving
to be a vital witness for Central Bureau Investigation in the
clandestine operation of a telephone exchange from former Union
Telecom and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran’s house in Chennai.
Saxena, who was the former Sun TV vice president (programming), has
been quizzed several times by the CBI in Delhi and Chennai as the
investigation by CBI which was nearly kept pending during the UPA
regime gained pace after the Narendra Modi government took over.
Saxena, who spent more than two months in custody in 2011 for
allegedly defrauding a movie distributor, parted ways with his mentor
who did not back him up during the troubled time. “I had paid the
amount. Kalanidhi knew about it. Yet he was silent,” said Saxena.
And now he has become a crucial witness along with Former Kalaignar TV
managing director and a former senior executive of Sun Network Sharad
Kumar in the illegal telephone exchange scam. Kumar, who had shifted
his allegiance to former chief minister M Karunanidhi family after the
Marans split with their relatives, bore the brunt after the patch-up
in the family.
“Do you want my other leg to be broken. They can barge in even during
midnight,” a scared Kumar told Express when asked about his
whereabouts in Chennai, to attend the CBI investigation.
Interestingly, it is learnt Kumar is spilling the beans against his
previous bosses to CBI in New Delhi with regard to the alleged illegal
telephone exchange. While both Saxena and Kumar don’t have the
technical expertise on how the exchange was set. Saxena says it was
chief technical officer Kannan who the brain in setting up the
exchange, which helped boost Sun TVs quality of programming.
But then the CBI investigation itself is under the scanner. It is
nearly seven years since the scam was brought to light but then
investigation had hardly progressed except the case getting
transferred from Chennai Central Bureau of Investigation to New Delhi.
Interestingly, an earlier preliminary inquiry by Chennai CBI had found
out that a telephone exchange did exist in Maran's residence in
Chennai and it was linked using ISDN lines and the exchange in turn
was hooked to the offices of Sun TV. But these connections were in the
name of the chief general manager of BSNL, Chennai, and were
designated as official use connections
Interestingly, CBI in Chennai was close to filing an FIR against and
letter was also sent recommending action against the Marans. But it
was in 2009 when the family patched up and Raja was made
telecommunication minister, the CBI letter recommending action against
the Marans was put in cold storage besides investigation being
transferred from Chennai to New Delhi.
And for the next 44 months, CBI slept on the file. It was only after
noted columnist and economist S Gurumurthy filed a public interest
litigation that the premier investigation agency woke up and started
investigating the case.
Interestingly, the issue has been raked by Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa when she was the opposition leader. With DMK being an
ally of UPA government, the investigation never picked up and now with
the Modi regime taking over, it is believed the government would
initiate action about Rs 440 crore loss to the exchequer.
A source told Express that it was just an open and shut case. All they
have to check is whether the cables as well as the lines exist besides
quizzing BSNL officials on whose permission this special privilege was
accorded to Marans.
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