Maran seeks quashing of criminal case

CHENNAI: Kalanithi Maran, chairman of Sun TV Network, has approached the Madras high court to quash a criminal case registered against him by the Central Crime Branch of Chennai police on a complaint by a Vijayawada-based businessman.
Justice K B K Vasuki, before whom the matter came up for admission on Thursday, posted it to September 8 after asking the government advocate to get instructions from police.
The matter relates to a complaint by P V Sivaprasad, who claimed that he had not been paid subscription commission of Rs 38.9 lakh by a Sun Group company. He said he visited the company headquarters and met Maran on May 5, 2009 and was asked to come again on July 14. During his second visit, however, he was not allowed to meet Maran and, instead, was threatened by his staff. Police registered an FIR, charging Maran under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 50ii (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
Maran said he was on a foreign tour from April 26 till May 8, and was not in India on May 5 when Sivaprasad claims to have met him. Maran said his office lobby was under CCTV watch round the clock, and the footage could be verified to prove that Sivaprasad did not visit his office on May 5.
Claiming that he had never met or dealt with Sivaprasad, Maran said even according to the complaint, the incident occurred in 2009 and the complainant had waited for more than four years to lodge a complaint. What is purely a civil dispute is being turned into a criminal offence with a mala fide motive, he said.