Sun TV lands in legal soup

Home Ministry takes final decision, denies security clearance to Sun TV Network: Ministry of Home Affairs has finally decided to deny security clearance to Sun TV Network. The issue was shifting from different ministries but MHA has clarified that there will be no security clearance to the network. According to media report, The ministry cited the reason, “Several rules had been violated by the owners.” Media reports also suggests that senior home ministry officials have said that the stand is clear on Sun TV case and there is no provision under the law for issuing security clearance to the channel and it also doesn’t matter if different opinions were being held. Taking a lesson from the Sun TV issue the government has also decided to change some norms for granting license to the television operators. In order to get license from the government the channel needs to give a self declaration saying that there are no cases such as criminal, money laundering, links with terror groups, and major financial fraud cases pending against them.

Sun TV may approach Court on issue of security clearance: Amid reports that Sun TV Group may be compelled to approach Courts of law following the view of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that it should not have been denied security clearance, it is understood that the Home Ministry has again approached the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) for its viewpoint before giving a final order. The PMO office, reportedly has also decided to stay with the Home Ministries decision to deny security clearance to the 33 channels under Sun TV Network. The network has still not received anything in writing from either the I&B nor the Home Ministries. Furthermore, the uncertainty is affecting the position of the Group in the stock market. Sun TV Network with 33 TV and around 40 radio channels is one of the largest media groups in the country with a reach to more than 95 million households in the country. Home Ministry officials say their investigation shows serious charges of money laundering against Kalanithi Maran, the owner of Sun TV Network. Home Ministry officials made it clear that neither the Ministry nor Home Minister Rajnath Singh will directly reply to the letter from Maran.

Sun TV woes continue as MHA disagrees with AG, denies security clearance: Even after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that denying security clearance to Sun TV Network was wrong, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that it does not agree with Attorney General’s opinion on the issue. According to MHA officials, their investigation shows serious charges of money laundering against Kalanithi Maran, the owner of Sun TV Network. In the light of this, MHA took the decision to deny it security clearance after high-level consultations. The MHA has now asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to give its decision, post which; it will further take a final call. It can be noted that Rohatgi had said that the MHA denying security clearance to Sun TV on basis of corruption charges was wrong, as neither the owner nor the Network was a threat to the nation’s security. The opinion was given after the I&B Ministry had sought for the Attorney General’s opinion on the matter. As per media reports, while the I&B Ministry is assessing Rohatgi’s opinion, in case there is still disagreement between the two ministries, one could well see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervening into the matter.

Rohatgi faults govt decision on Sun TV: Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi shot down the home ministry's decision to deny security clearance to Sun TV, saying mere filing of cases against the owners can't be a ground to deny the right to run a channel. The MHA's decision to deny security clearance to Sun TV was based on three cases against the owners, the Maran brothers — the 2G scam-related Aircel-Maxis case, the alleged money laundering case against Sun TV and the alleged 300-line exchange at Marans' home when Dayanidhi was Union communications minister. In a strongly worded opinion, the top law officer told the government that mere filing of criminal charges in economic offences, in which trial courts were yet to frame charges against the accused, could not be a ground to infer that they had posed threat to national security because of the alleged offences.

AG supports security clearance to Sun TV: Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi has supported grant of security clearance to 33 channels of Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network, saying the corruption cases being investigated against the network's promoter cannot be ground to deny it.The information and broadcasting ministry had recently approached the law ministry to seek the opinion of the top law officer on the issue after the home ministry denied security clearance to the network. The ministry had earlier been informed about the decision of the home ministry denying security clearance to the TV network, which is believed to have been influenced by pending corruption cases against Maran and his brother, former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran. The television channels could, however, seek a legal recourse. The Sun TV Network is one of India's largest media groups whose TV channels reach more than 95 million households in the country.

Centre still firm on stand against Sun, targets its cable TV arm: Keen to clear legal hurdles stopping it from proceeding against a Sun TV group company - Kal Cables - the Centre has moved the Madras high court against quashing of its order cancelling the multi-system operator's licence. The appeal, which comes days after the Union home ministry denied security clearance to 33 channels of the Sun TV network, indicates that the Centre is pressing ahead with its action against the Kalanithi Maran-run group. On August 20, 2014, the Centre cancelled provisional broadcast licence of Kal and asked it to wind up its cable and channel distribution operations in Chennai and tier-II cities such as Coimbatore in 15 days. On September 5, 2014, Justice V Ramasubramanian quashed the cancellation, saying no show-cause notice had been issued to the company. More than nine months after the order, Union home and I&B ministries have filed an appeal before a division bench, saying the company had indulged in acts which threatened the security of the nation, and hence the court ought not to have exercised its discretion in favour of the company. Kal Cables was given cable TV network licence on the condition that it should obtain security clearance from the Centre, the appeal said, adding that the request for security clearance was rejected by the Union home ministry. Consequently, there is no other go but to cancel the licence, it said.

Sun TV stock crashes over 25% on MHA ban scare: The stock price of Sun TV Network crashed over 25% in early trading on fears that the government may ban the company from broadcasting its 33 television channels. Union home ministry had refused security clearance to 33 TV channels of Kalanithi Maran-run Sun TV group. This came close on the heels of home ministry's denial of clearance to 40 radio channels run by the group.However, the Sun TV channels are unlikely to go off air soon. A decision on whether to seek a review or suspend the group's licenses will be taken by I&B minister Arun Jaitley. And also a government decision could be challenged in court.