The Madras High Court on Thursday refused to stay the order of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revoking the licences of Sumangali Cable Vision, owned by Kalanishi and Dayanidhi Maran, grandnephews of M Karunanidhi, the DMK chief.
Additional Solicitor General informed the court that the licence of SCV was cancelled owing to issues of national security. However, the court stayed the directive of the MIB that SCV should run a scroll for 15 days that their licence is being revoked. Justice Ramasubramanian who is hearing the petition adjourned the case to next Tuesday. Sumangali Cable Vision is the largest multi-system operator in Tamil Nadu enjoying a near monopoly in the cable TV business.
The Sun Network of which SCV is a part, is facing many legal problems following the change of Governments at Chennai in 2011 and in New Delhi in May 2014.
The group has emerged as south India’s biggest media conglomerate with presence in all four South Indian States in the form of satellite TV channels, FM radio stations, DTH services and more than a dozen publications including newspaper, weeklies and magazines.