The Centre had denied security clearance to the Sun Group citing cases of economic offences against its promoters, including former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran.
In a major relief to the Sun Group, the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Centre to allow the embattled group to participate in mock auctions to renew FM licences as well as regular auctions commencing from July 27. The order came hours before the scheduled mock auctions were slated to begin on Thursday. The renewal of licences for Sun’s 29 FM radio stations had landed in trouble after Centre denied security clearance to the group on July 15.
The Centre had denied security clearance to the Sun Group citing cases of economic offences against its promoters, including former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran.
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In his order, Justice M Sathyanarayanan also directed the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to keep the auction results in a sealed cover and maintained that any award of tender should be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions filed by the Sun Group in the High Court.
In its six writ petitions, the Sun Group argued that the company’s non-inclusion in the list of companies eligible for auctions only meant closing its FM stations for extraneous, illegal and mala fide reasons.
Citing Clause 2.2(b) of the Information Memorandum and Clause 3.2(b) of the Notice Inviting Application, the petitions said that only a company controlled by a person convicted for an offence involving “moral turpitude or money laundering or drug trafficking or terrorist activities or declared as insolvent” will not be eligible to apply.
It added that even the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 did not stipulate security clearance by the Ministry of Home Affairs as a precondition for participation in the auction. “It could be terminated or denied only when there is default in payment of licence fee or breach of terms contained in the agreement,” the group said. However, the Centre argued that the group’s promoters faced serious charges of economic offences with national and international ramifications.
Earlier, DMK chief M Karunanidhi had thrown his weight behind the Marans, criticising the Centre’s rejection of the group’s application for participation as an act of “strangulating democracy”.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
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The Centre had denied security clearance to the Sun Group citing cases of economic offences against its promoters, including former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran.
