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Maran Telephone Exchange Case: Gurumurthy's Long Battle Reaches Supreme Court

Maran Telephone Exchange Case: Gurumurthy's Long Battle Reaches Supreme Court
The Telephone Exchange expose by S Gurumurthy, Dayanidhi Maran and a battle that continues today, even after a decade · opindia.com

A long time ago, a very important man named Dayanidhi Maran was in charge of telephones in India.

Some people said he used hundreds of special phone lines that belonged to the government for his family's TV company.

A journalist named S. Gurumurthy wrote about it in the newspaper and spent many years asking the police to investigate.

The police finally looked into it, but the case moved very slowly.

The highest court in India, the Supreme Court, even talked about stopping the case because the money involved seemed small.

But Gurumurthy said the real value of all those phone lines was much, much bigger.

The case went back and forth between courts for many years.

Now, in 2026, the case is still going on in the Supreme Court.

Some judges and police have different opinions about what happened.

The story teaches us that powerful people should be held responsible just like everyone else.

Key facts

Accused
Dayanidhi Maran, former Union Telecom Minister
Alleged Lines
Approximately 764 high-speed BSNL lines (323 at Boat Club Road; 400+ at Gopalapuram)
Alleged Beneficiary
Sun TV, controlled by Maran's brother Kalanithi Maran
Connection
Approximately 3.4 km of underground optical fibre cable
Alleged Loss
Reported at around ₹440 crore by the CBI; Gurumurthy argued rental alone could exceed ₹200 crore; ₹1.2 crore treated in proceedings
Exposé
June 2011, The New Indian Express
Key Dates
Lines installed 2004-2007; CBI inquiry September 2007; SC petition 2013; arrest stayed August 2015; 2018 discharge overturned by Madras HC
Current Status (2026)
CBI challenging Madras HC order allowing Maran to summon Union Telecom Secretary as witness

Quotes

Supreme Court Judge

Judge presiding over the case in the Supreme Court of India

“"Your assessment of the loss is ₹1.2 crore. Maran is ready to pay that money to BSNL. We are not saying that there is no misuse of power."”
opindia.com
“"Will the CBI tell the court that the loss is minimum ₹200 crore, not counting the immeasurable user charges?"”
opindia.com

Sources

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