Apex Court stays cancellation of Maran's anticipatory bail

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order cancelling former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran's anticipatory bail in an alleged illegal telephone exchange case.

It slammed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for doing nothing for over two years since 2013.

An apex court bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur chided the CBI for not arresting even one person in the Rs.8,000 crore national rural health mission scam in Uttar Pradesh, but seeking Maran's custodial interrogation for an outstanding bill of nearly Rs.2 crore, rooted in an alleged abuse of office and position.

Wondering why Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi was appearing in a matter challenging the cancellation of anticipatory bail, the court gave the CBI three weeks to respond to the petition by Dayanidhi Maran challenging the Madras High Court's Monday order of cancelling his anticipatory bail.

It directed the next hearing of the matter on September 14.