SUN TV family feud explodes: What Dayanidhi Maran's legal notice to brother Kalanithi reveals
In a high-stakes family dispute, former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran has issued a legal notice to his elder brother, Kalanithi Maran, accusing him of violating regulations and unlawfully transferring lakhs of shares of the Chennai-based Sun TV Group to himself.
These shares are reportedly worth several thousand crores of rupees.
Dayanidhi alleged that Kalanithi received ₹ 5,926 crore in dividends up to 2023 and an additional ₹ 455 crore in 2024. He alleged that 'the offences committed by you are continuous in nature and continue as on date.'
Meanwhile, Sun TV Network Ltd, the company at the center of the dispute, reported a turnover of ₹ 4,544 crore and a net profit of ₹ 1,654.45 crore for the financial year 2024–25.
Dayanidhi Maran has warned that he will approach regulatory and enforcement agencies—including the SFIO, SEBI, and ED—to initiate civil, criminal, and regulatory proceedings against his brother Kalanithi Maran and associates, including Kalanithi's wife, Kaveri Kalanithi. He has demanded that the ownership structure of M/s SUN TV Network Limited and all related entities be restored to their original form as of September 15, 2003, Times of India reported.
Specifically, he called for the reinstatement of shares to their rightful owners: M.K. Dayalu Ammal, wife of the late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, and the legal heirs of the late S.N. Maran (Murasoli Maran). He has given a one-week deadline for compliance.
Dayanidhi Maran recalled that the original parent company, M/s Sumangali Publications Private Limited, was incorporated on December 12, 1985, with only two promoters—M.K. Dayalu Ammal and Mallika Maran, wife of Murasoli Maran. At the time of incorporation, each held a 50% share in the company, according to a report by Times of India.
When Murasoli Maran was critically ill in Sept 2003, and when it was clear he would pass away any moment, Kalanithi Maran allotted 12 lakh equity shares of M/s SUN TV Private Limited to himself without sufficient, proper valuation and fair consideration, and without obtaining consent from all other existing shareholders — the family of Maran and the family of Karunanidhi — at a face value of ₹ 10 each, it said.
The offences committed by you are continuous in nature and continue as on date.
Referring to Kaveri Kalanithi's remuneration, Dayanidhi Maran alleged that she unjustly enriched herself by drawing a salary of ₹ 87.5 crore annually. 'This reflects your deceptive scheme to siphon off and misappropriate company funds,' he stated in the legal notice. He further demanded that Kalanithi Maran and his wife, Kaveri Kalanithi, immediately return all monetary benefits, dividends, assets, and any form of income unlawfully received or appropriated from 2003 to the present, according to the TOI report.
The legal notice was addressed to Kalanithi Maran, Kaveri Kalanithi, Ravi Ramamoorthy, Natarajan Sivasubramanian (chartered accountant), Sridhar Swaminathan (financial consultant), Swaminathan, and Sharad Kumar.
Key Takeaways Family disputes can escalate into significant legal battles impacting large corporations.
Regulatory bodies may become involved in personal disputes when financial misconduct is alleged.
Ownership structures in family-owned businesses can be contentious and lead to long-term consequences.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Anurag Rastogi gets one-year extension as Haryana chief secretary
The central government has granted a year's extension in service to chief secretary Anurag Rastogi. The 1990-batch Haryana IAS officer, who was due to retire on June 30, will continue to hold the charge of chief secretary till June 30, 2026. A June 19 communication from the Union ministry of personnel said that the central government, on a proposal of the Haryana government, has approved extension of service for Rastogi from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Hindustan Times was the first to report on June 8 that Rastogi would get an extension in service, thus enabling him to continue as chief secretary from July 1. Since Rule 16 (1) of the All-India Service (death cum retirement benefits) Rules, 1958, provided for only six months of extension in service for the chief secretary, the central government relaxed this rule by invoking Rule 3 of All India Service (Conditions of Service- Residuary Matters) Rules, 1960, to grant Rastogi 12 months of extension in service. Rule 3 of All India Service (Conditions of Service- Residuary Matters) Rules, 1960, empowers the central government to dispense with or relax the requirements of a rule or regulations made under All India Services Act, 1951. Rastogi was appointed as chief secretary in February this year after 1989-batch IAS officer Vivek Joshi took voluntary retirement on being chosen as Election Commissioner by the central government. The Nayab Singh Saini government appointed Rastogi as Joshi's successor by not following the seniority principle. According to the gradation list of Haryana IAS officers, Sudhir Rajpal of the 1990 batch is the senior most as per the inter se seniority followed by Sumita Misra, Anurag Rastogi, Anand Mohan Sharan and Raja Sekhar Vundru. A dispute has been raised by the 1990-batch IAS officers regarding the inter-se seniority which remains unadjudicated. Rastogi was also given the interim charge of chief secretary for a few days after the retirement of TVSN Prasad and before Joshi joined as the chief secretary in November 2024. Rastogi was later posted as financial commissioner, revenue (FCR) and also held the charge of additional chief secretary, finance and planning. He still holds the charge of the finance and planning departments.
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
CLAT UG 2025 third merit list released; final admission round begins
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has officially released the third and final merit list for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) UG 2025. Candidates who participated in the counselling rounds can now check the provisional allotment list on the official website at As per a report by Times of India, the final admission round officially begins with this merit list. Allotted candidates must pay a confirmation fee of Rs 20,000 by June 23, 2025, 1 pm. The last date to pay the respective university fees is June 27, 2025, by 5 PM. Candidates satisfied with their allotted seat can select the 'Freeze' option, as this is the final round and no further "Float" options will be available.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Sun TV Network defends promoter Kalanithi, says all legal obligations met
New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) A day after reports emerged of former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran accusing his brother of "fraudulent practices" and "misgovernance", the elder sibling Kalanithi-run Sun TV on Friday said the division between the promoter family done 22 years back was in compliance with all legal obligations. Defending its promoter Kalanithi, Sun TV Network in a regulatory filing said the agreements between the two brothers had been "duly vetted" by "intermediaries" concerned before the company's public issue. According to reports, Dayanidhi has sent a legal notice to his brother and several others, accusing them of "fraudulent practices" and "misgovernance" in taking control of Sun TV after their father Murasoli Maran's death in 2003. Dayanidhi, who is also a Lok Sabha member from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has sought to restore the company's shareholding structure to its pre-September 2003 status. The board of Sun TV Network is led by Kalanithi as Executive Director and Chairperson. His daughter Kavya Kalanithi Maran is also on the south-based broadcaster board. Kalanithi, as a promoter, owns 75 per cent shareholding in Sun TV Network. On Friday, Sun TV Network, in its regulatory filing said, "The alleged matter dates back to 22 years when the company was a closely held private limited company." Defending the promoter, it further stated, "Statements allegedly made in the articles are incorrect, misleading, speculating, defamatory and not supported by facts or law". "We wish to inform that all acts have been done in accordance with legal obligations and the same had been duly vetted by concerned intermediaries before the public issue of the company," it said. Moreover, Sun TV Network also said the media reports claiming a rift between the promoter Maran brothers "does not have any bearing on the business of the company or its day-to-day functioning". Sun TV Network also clarified that it is a "family matter of the promoter" and is "purely personal in nature". Besides Kalanithi, financial institutions, including mutual funds and insurance companies, own 10.46 per cent of the shareholding of Sun TV and 6.87 per cent by the foreign portfolio investors. Chennai-based Sun TV Network is among India's leading media conglomerates, having 37 television channels in seven languages, with a reach of more than 140 million households in India. Besides, it also owns Sun Direct, a DTH (direct-to-home) platform and operates 69 FM radio stations under the brand names -- Suryan FM, RED FM and Magic FM. It also operates three daily newspapers and six magazines. In addition, Sun TV Network owns the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League and Sunrisers Eastern Cape of Cricket South Africa's T20 League. For the 2024-25 financial year, the network's total consolidated income was ₹ 4,712.60 crore, down 1.55 per cent. Its profit after tax was down 11.53 per cent to ₹ 1,703.64 crore, against ₹ 1,925.80 crore a year earlier.
