Dayanidhi Maran (File photo)

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed plea of former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran for quashing of trial against him in the decade-old BSNL telephone exchange case and asked him to face proceedings in the lower court along with other accused including his elder brother Kalanidhi Maran.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi refused to entertain Maran's plea challenging the Madras HC order which set aside the CBI special court's order to discharge Maran brothers and five others in the case. "Nothing. Go and face the trial. These are the matters which should be decided in trial," the bench told Maran's lawyers who pleaded the court to hear the case on merit.

In a setback to the Maran brothers, the Madras high court had on July 25 remitted back the case to the special CBI court and directed it to continue the trial and complete framing of charges within 12 weeks.

On March 14, the special judge said he was discharging all seven accused since there was no prima facie evidence to prove the charges against them.

According to CBI, Dayanidhi Maran - during June 2004 to December 2006 when he was Union minister for communication and information technology - misused his official position and installed a private telephone exchange at his residences in Chennai and used it for business transactions involving Sun Network, owned by brother Kalanidhi.

The HC had held that the lower court's decision was "erroneous, illegal and perverse". "It is not one phone connection used by SUN TV. The case of the prosecution is that in violation of the rules, regulations and guidelines... several phone connections and add-on benefits were given to A-3 ( Dayanidhi Maran) and A-7's ( Kalanithi Maran 's) business establishment illegally," the HC had said.

