Dayanidhi Maran sues Tehelka

Source :31 May 2011, 1257 hrs IST, TIMES NOW

Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Tuesday (May 31) issued a legal notice to Tehelka magazine. The notice calls Tehelka's report a blatant concocted lie under the pretext of investigative journalism. Maran sued Tehelka after it alleged he had favoured certain companies as Telecom Min. Tehelka reported that investigators are examining a strange turn of events when Dayanidhi Maran, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi’s grand nephew, was telecom minister. According to the Tehelka report, Maran in 2006 deliberately delayed clearing license to certain companies. The report claimed that the delay pressurized Aircel to strike a deal with Maxis. Meanwhile Tehelka has also issued a statement in reaction to the legal notice served by Maran. Tehelka says they are yet to receive legal notice from former Telecom Minister. In its statement Tehelka said, "We are told that Dayanidhi Maran has sent us a notice but we haven't received it yet. Given the nature of stories we do par for the course it is merely an intimidation. This is the kind of crony tacticism that is crippling the nation." CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury also reacted to the Tehelka's report saying suspicion arises about the culpability of some people in cabinet. He said, "New information is coming to light as a result of which new people's culpability, those in the cabinet are being raised. The law should take its own course and there should be no impediment. Going by the standards of what pm said, he should act Suspicion being raised about the culpability of some people in cabinet."