Supreme Court Sets Aside Order Allowing Dayanidhi Maran to Summon Telecom Secretary
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Live Law
The Supreme Court on Friday set aside a Madras High Court order that had directed the trial court to summon the Union Telecom Secretary as a court witness in a corruption case against DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran. A bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Arun Palli allowed the CBI's plea against the March 25 high court order, which had mandated the secretary's deposition regarding service-category telecom connections. The apex court clarified that Maran retains the option to summon the telecom secretary as a defence witness if he so desires. The case dates back to Maran's tenure as Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology between 2004 and 2007 under the UPA-1 government. The CBI alleges that Maran misused his official position to install private telephone exchanges at his residences in Chennai for the business transactions of the Sun Network.
Why it matters
The Supreme Court ruling modifies the procedural framework for examining senior government bureaucrats as witnesses in high-profile political corruption trials. It clarifies that defence testimony options remain with the accused rather than court-mandated summoning.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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