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DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has accused his brother, founder of Sun TV Network Kalanithi Maran, of orchestrating a large-scale corporate fraud at the media conglomerate and other affiliated companies. Dayanidhi has accused Kalanithi of fraudulent transfer of shares, money laundering, and denying other legal heirs in the family their rightful share of assets.
Dayanidhi has also named Kalanithi’s wife Kavery Kalanithi, Executive Director of Sun TV Network, in a 46-page legal notice dated June 10, 2025, parts of which TNM has seen. Dayanidhi has accused his brother of large-scale corporate fraud and misappropriation of shares in the company since 2003, the year their father, the late DMK stalwart Murasoli Maran passed away after prolonged illness. Murasoli Maran was the nephew of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.
Dayanidhi has demanded that the original shareholdings be restored as of September 15, 2003, prior to their father’s death. He has also demanded that Kalanithi return all assets, dividends and benefits acquired "illegally" within seven days or face civil and criminal proceedings from various central agencies including the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), MoneyControl has reported.
Kalanithi Maran is currently the Executive Chairman of Sun TV Network.
Dayanidhi has also named six others in the legal notice, in which he alleged that Kalanithi allotted 12 lakh shares to himself at Rs 10 per share (at a total cost of Rs 1.2 crore) without proper valuation or shareholder consent, giving him 60% control of Sun TV.
The estimated real value of these shares bought at Rs 1.2 crore was actually as high as Rs 3,500 crore, the notice alleged.
Kalanithi currently has a 75% stake in Sun TV Network, and has a net worth of 2.9 billion USD according to Forbes.
The notice also alleged that after their father Murasoli Maran’s death, 95,000 shares that were in his name were transferred to their mother Mallika Maran without a legal heir certificate or death certificate. These were later sold to Kalanithi at face value, bypassing other legal heirs, Dayanidhi alleged in the notice.
The notice also said that similar fraudulent transfers occurred in Kungumam Publications, Kal Investments, and other entities associated with Sun Group in which the Maran family had equal ownership with Dayalu Ammal, Chief Minister MK Stalin’s mother and Karunanidhi’s wife.
It also alleged that company funds were used for personal gain, with dividends declared unilaterally to fund share purchases and enrich Kalanithi and Kavery. An amount of Rs 100 crore was transferred to Dayalu Ammal from Sun TV funds, it alleged.
The 2006 IPO (Initial Public Offering) of Sun TV was based on falsified records, Dayanidhi alleged.
He also accused Kalanithi of laundering over Rs 8,500 crore through various companies including SpiceJet, Sun Direct, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Team owned by Sun Group and headed by Kalanithi’s daughter Kavya Maran.
Sun Direct is satellite television service provider owned by Sun Group
Kalanithi Maran had acquired a controlling stake in the airline SpiceJet in 2010. In 2015, he transferred his stake back to SpiceJet co-founder Ajay Singh. Since then, Kalanithi was engaged in a legal conflict with the airline, alleging that SpiceJet owed him outstanding payments. His appeal has been rejected by the Supreme Court and more recently yet again by the Delhi High Court.
Dayanidhi Maran also alleged that other legal heirs of Murasoli Maran, including himself, were denied their rightful shares and control of family assets by Kalanithi and his associates.
Apart from Kalanithi and Kavery, Dayanidhi has accused various company officials, auditors and advisors of the Sun Group of aiding in the alleged fraud by creating false records and misleading regulatory bodies and the public.
