The Ministry of Home Affairs has, reportedly, denied security clearance to the Sun TV network and recommended to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that the licenses be cancelled for all 33 TV channels of the group.
In response, the Chairman of the group, Kalanithi Maran, has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, stating that the grounds of denial of clearance are ‘untenable’ and that Sun TV has been ‘singled-out’.
There are several TV and FM radio companies, including some controlled by very large conglomerates which among them have pending cases including 2g spectrum, corporate espionage at the Ministry of Petroleum, corruption involving disproportionate assets and extortions. The security clearances for these group companies have not been revoked.
Most of the TV companies have criminal cases pending against them, or against their director/promoter or their group companies, but only we have been singled-out and security clearance has been denied.
-Excerpts from Kalanithi Maran’s letter
‘Sun TV Singled-out’ says Maran
In the letter, Maran says that he is ‘extremely worried’ and that the Sun Group has never been ‘involved in any anti-national or criminal activity’. He places these main facts to the minister –
1. Security clearances of several other media houses owned by business conglomerates which have severe cases against them have not been revoked. Most TV companies have criminal cases against them but Sun TV has been ‘singled-out’.
2. All telecom companies were allowed to participate in 3g/4g auctions despite facing investigations in the 2g scam. Power companies facing criminal investigations have been allowed to participate in coal-block auctions.
3. Sun TV is confident that they will be acquitted in cases facing them, and that it will be a ‘grave miscarriage of justice’ and will go ‘against the legal axiom of innocent until proven guilty’ if their licenses are cancelled.
Lives Dependent
Maran states further that they ‘do not fall within any of the conditions stipulated for disqualification in grant of licenses’, and that the sector will cease to exist if the security clearance is not uniformly applied to all companies.
The chairman has also requested the MHA to consider the livelihood of 5,000 employees of the Sun group, and its 30,000 shareholders before taking a decision.
The News Minute had earlier reported on the Marans’ legal strategy, which included questioning the duplicity of the MHA in denying clearances and also seeking to be seen as innocent until proven guilty.
The Economic Times reports this morning that a similar letter has been sent to the Minister of I&B Arun Jaitley as well.
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