There was a major earthquake in Tamil Nadu politics and media world when former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran sent a legal notice against his elder brother and Sun TV network chief Kalanidhi Maran. Let us tell you that this dispute is not only family, but about the property worth thousands of crores and the control of a big media company in the country. Dayanidhi Maran has alleged that his elder brother Kalanidhi Maran illegally transferred millions of Tamil Nadu politics to his name. He said that all this happened in 2003 at his father Murasoli Maran’s illness and death when the family was emotionally weak.
DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran sent a legal notice to his elder brother Kalanidhi Maran alleging that Kalanidhi disregarded the rules and transferred millions of shares of the Sun TV Group in Chennai to his name, which costs thousands of crores of rupees. Media reports said that Dayanidhi has said that Kalanidhi Maran received ₹ 5,926 crore as dividend by 2023 and ₹ 455 crore in 2024. He said, “The crimes you have still are still running.” Let us tell you that Sun TV Network Limited recorded a business of ₹ 4,544 crore in FY 2024-25 and a net profit of ₹ 1,654.45 crore.
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Dayanidhi Maran has warned that if Kalanidhi and his colleagues, including his wife Kaveri Kalanidhi, will not bring the company back to the position of September 15, 2003 within a week, they will urge SFIO, SEBI, ED and other statutory agencies to take action. Dayanidhi Maran has also demanded returning their shares to the legal heirs of MK Dayalu Ammal (wife of late CM Karunanidhi) and Murasoli Maran (father of Dayanidhi). Dayanidhi also said that he would demand the closure of two dozen satellite channels, radio channels, newspapers and other businesses of the Sun Group. At the same time, they will also demand BCCI to cancel the franchise license of Sunrisers Hyderabad and cancel the SpiceJet from DGCA.
Dayanidhi said that the promoters of the original company Sumangali Publications Private Limited were only Dayalu Ammal and Mallika Maran (wife of Murasoli Maran) and on 12 December 1985, both had 50–50% shares. According to Dayanidhi, when Murasoli Maran was seriously ill in September 2003, Kalanidhi Maran got 12 lakh shares of M/S Sun TV Private Limited in his name, without any proper assessment, compensation and consent of other stakeholders, while he did not have a single share until 15 September 2003.
Murasoli Maran died on 23 November 2003 and the death certificate was released on 20 February 2004, but Kalanidhi transferred shares on 26 November 2003, which was not legally possible, as no successor certificate or death certificate was present at that time. The notice states that at that time there was neither a administrator, nor any successor was appointed nor a succession certificate was issued. Therefore, it is a very shocking thing that you achieved 0% to 60% stake in one night. While the share of real promoters was deliberately reduced from 50% to 20%.
Dayanidhi said that 12 lakh shares were purchased at the rate of ₹ 10 per share, ie a total of ₹ 1.2 crore was paid, while the market price of these shares at that time was ₹ 3,500 crore – thus, ₹ 3,498.8 crore is “income of crime”. Dayanidhi has said that on 16 December 2005, 1,14,999 shares of Mallika Maran were also shifted to Kalanidhi without knowing without legal heirs, while a few weeks ago she bought the shares at a rate of ₹ 3,173.04 per share. He said that the shares were purchased by Dayalu Ammal for ₹ 100 crore, while if they kept their shares, they could get ₹ 100 crore from the dividend. Dayanidhi alleged that all this transaction was done with the company’s money and Dayalu was cheated in the process.
Let us also tell you that this is not the first legal notice sent to Kalanidhi. A notice was also sent on 7 October 2024, in response to which Kalanidhi gave “a vague answer without any concrete information”. Kalanidhi then paid ₹ 500 crore to his sister Anbukrasi, who is the legal successor of Murasoli Maran. Dayanidhi’s notice also states that “payment of sister after 21 years of father’s death is only an attempt to suppress the truth and silence them.” Dayanidhi alleged that Kaveri Kalanidhi was paid ₹ 87.5 crore annually, making him improperly profit. The notice states that “whatever economic benefits, property and income you have earned illegally since 2003, it should be immediately returned to the successors of merciful and Murasoli Maran.” This notice has also been sent to Kalanidhi Maran, Kaveri Kalanidhi, Ravi Ramamurthy, Natarajan Shivsubramanian (CA), Sridhar Swaminathan (Financial Advisor), Swaminathan and Sharad Kumar.
However, this dispute of the Maran family has become a conflict of politics, media, corporate and family values, but not only a property quarrel. When there is such a big accusation within a family, the question arises whether it is the truth, or is it a fight to get control? It will have to be seen that when the investigating agencies and judiciary will investigate the allegations, then what new things come out.
