Following news reports that the Ministry of Home Affairs has 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, the chairman of the group Kalanithi Maran has shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh stating that the grounds of denial of clearance are ‘untenable’ and that Sun TV has been ‘singled-out’.A copy of the full letter is available with The News Minute.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clearances of several other media houses owned by business conglomerates which have severe cases against them have not been revoked.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’."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 The security clearances for these group companies have not been revoked.Most of the TV companies have criminal cases pending against them, or against their director/promoter or their group companies, but only we have been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."2. All telecom companies were allowed to participate in 3g/4g auctions in spite of 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 ‘grave miscarriage of justice’ go ‘against the legal axiom of innocent until proven guilty’ if their licenses are cancelled.Maran further also states 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 5000 employees of the Sun group, and its 30,000 shareholders before taking a decision.The News Minute had earlier reported on the legal strategy of Marans, 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 Minister of I&B Arun Jaitley as well.Also read- Sun Group names 17 other media companies who have cases against them or their proprietors. Read who they are