Aircel-Maxis deal: SC extends probe deadline by 3 months

Aircel (File) Representational image

The Supreme Court on Thursday extended by three months the deadline given to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to complete the probe in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.

A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the Aircel-Maxis probe should be completed in three months.

Additional Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, said the agency needs some two-three months to complete the probe as it needs to confront some accused with several e-mails.

The ED is probing a money laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases.

The Supreme Court had in March directed the investigating agencies—CBI and ED—to complete their probe in the 2G spectrum allocation cases and other related matters, including the Aircel-Maxis deal in six months.

The bench had observed that investigation has been going on for a long time and people of this country cannot be kept in the dark on a sensitive matter like this.

In July, a Delhi court had granted the CBI two months time to obtain sanction for prosecuting former finance minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram, his son Karti and other accused in the case.