NEW DELHI, Sept 24 — An Indian court has issued an arrest warrant for Malaysian billionaire Tan Sri T. Ananda Krishnan in connection with an investigation into alleged phone-license corruption.

Krishnan controls Malaysia’s Maxis Group. The court also granted a warrant for Ralph Marshall, deputy chairman at Krishnan-controlled Astro All Asia Networks Plc.

The Central Bureau of Investigation sought the warrants as part of its investigation into allegations that former telecommunications minister Dayanidhi Maran improperly favoured an operator for a phone license.

The bureau told the Supreme Court in 2011 that it was investigating whether Maran delayed granting a license to Aircel Cellular Ltd and forced its founder Chinnakannan Sivasankaran to sell his controlling stake to Maxis.

Maran, who was telecommunications minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet between 2004 and 2007, resigned as textiles minister in July 2011.

India has a history of issuing unrealistic arrest warrants. In 2014, the Supreme Court ordered Samsung Electronics Co Chairman Lee Kun-Hee to appear before judges in a dispute over a US$1.4 million (RM5.7 million) payment. That case is still pending. — Bloomberg