A storm has broken out within one of India’s most powerful media dynasties (Sun TV Network Limited) former telecom minister and current DMK MP, Dayanidhi Maran, has fired off a legal notice accusing his billionaire brother Kalanithi Maran, the media mogul behind Sun TV, India’s largest listed media company, of orchestrating a multi-crore corporate coup cloaked in fraud and misgovernance.

The battle, years in the making, has now erupted into public view.

According to the legal notice dated June 10, Dayanidhi alleges that after the death of their father, Murasoli Maran, in 2003, Kalanithi – along with seven others including his wife Kaveri Maran, the family’s chartered accountant, and key company insiders – manipulated the corporate structure of Sun TV through fraudulent share allotments, forged documents, and unauthorised transactions. The alleged aim was to quietly wrest control of the media empire, sidelining other family stakeholders.

Filed through Chennai-based advocate K. Suresh of Law Dharma, the notice paints dark picture of what it calls an “unauthorised and calculated scheme” to seize dominance over a company originally promoted by the Maran family.

Who is Dayanidhi Maran?

Before politics, Dayanidhi Maran was a co-owner of Chennai’s iconic nightclub HFO – Hell Freezes Over, but his entry into national limelight came in 2004, the same year Rahul Gandhi made his political debut – when India saw a wave of articulate, privileged, and Western-educated political heirs enter Parliament.

Maran fit the archetype of the “babalog” generation perfectly:

Son of Murasoli Maran – a veteran journalist, politician, and Cabinet minister.

Younger brother to media baron Kalanithi Maran, the man behind the Sun TV empire.

And importantly, grandnephew of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, making him a part of one of Tamil Nadu’s most storied political bloodlines.

In short, political legacy, media clout, and business ambition all run through his veins. But as this legal showdown now reveals, even the most powerful dynasties have cracks and sometimes, they erupt for the world to see.

Flashback: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Dayanidhi Maran
Long before this legal face-off with his brother exploded into headlines, Dayanidhi Maran was a perfect candidate of political pedigree and promise.

When he first entered Parliament from Central Chennai in 2004, Maran – then just 37 – was already “to the manor born.” His father, Murasoli Maran, had served as an MP for 36 years and held key ministries in multiple governments at the Centre. The DMK, meanwhile, had just allied with the UPA, and Dayanidhi’s appointment as Cabinet Minister for Communications and IT within days of the new government forming felt inevitable. He was, after all, family, Karunanidhi’s grandnephew.

But what family gives, family can also take away.

In 2007, Maran was unceremoniously dropped from the Cabinet. The trigger – a political poll published in Dinakaran (a Tamil daily owned by his brother Kalanithi Maran) suggested that MK Stalin, Karunanidhi’s younger son, was the people’s choice to succeed the DMK patriarch over his elder brother MK Azhagiri or sister Kanimozhi.

That single editorial opinion set the house on fire, literally. Supporters allegedly loyal to Azhagiri torched the Dinakaran office, killing three staffers. Karunanidhi distanced himself. The party passed a resolution against Dayanidhi for “violating party discipline” and “tarnishing the DMK’s image.” Dayanidhi resigned the next day.

But if 2007 was his political fall, his 2006 telecom tenure was also the peak of his administrative influence. He was credited with driving down mobile rates, helping open India’s telecom market, and attracting serious foreign investment; industry voices openly lamented his exit. The scandal, however, lingered.

In 2011, Dayanidhi once again resigned – this time, under investigation for alleged misuse of office during his telecom tenure. The CBI was sniffing around his role in the Aircel-Maxis deal, which eventually became part of the broader 2G spectrum controversy.

Still, in politics, amnesia is a feature, not a bug. In late 2008, with elections looming, Karunanidhi brokered peace within the clan. When the UPA returned to power in 2009, Dayanidhi returned to the Cabinet, though with a less glamorous Textile Ministry. The more lucrative telecom portfolio had by then passed to A. Raja, whose own fall was soon to become the stuff of courtroom drama.

Dayanidhi Maran, born in December 1966, was educated in Chennai – schooling at Don Bosco, followed by a BA in Economics from Loyola College. A self-professed techie, he’s a certified Amateur Radio (HAM) operator, with hobbies ranging from golf and cricket to tennis.

His brother, Kalanithi Maran, meanwhile, was climbing the business charts – listed among India’s richest by Forbes, building an empire in media, entertainment, aviation, and sports.

To the Present…. 
If the past was dramatic, the present is incendiary. 

Now, in 2025, the brothers aren’t just on opposite sides of a courtroom. They’re warring over the very legacy their father left behind and the empire that was once the crown jewel of Tamil Nadu’s most powerful family.

According to the explosive legal notice filed by Dayanidhi Maran, the seeds of betrayal were sown at the most vulnerable moment for the Maran family – during the final days of their father, Murasoli Maran, the political patriarch who had long served as the DMK’s bridge to Delhi. From late 2002 until his death in November 2003, Murasoli was in a coma, on life support. It was during this period – when power structures were uncertain and the patriarch’s guiding hand absent – that the alleged financial engineering began.

On September 15, 2003, mere days after Murasoli Maran was flown back to Chennai from the U.S. in critical condition, Kalanithi Maran allegedly allotted himself 12 lakh equity shares in Sun TV Private Limited at a face value of just ₹10 per share. The company’s actual valuation, according to the notice, ranged between ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 per share, and its reserves exceeded ₹253 crore at the time. There was, allegedly, no board approval, no shareholder consent – just a sudden, silent shift in power.

That single move, the notice claims, changed everything.

Kalanithi’s shareholding jumped to 60% overnight, while the two promoter families, those of Murasoli Maran and Karunanidhi, were diluted from 50% each to just 20% each. The real value of the transaction, estimated at over ₹3,500 crore. What Kalanithi allegedly paid – Just ₹1.2 crore.

And this, Dayanidhi claims, was only the beginning.

On November 26, 2003, a mere three days after their father’s death and two days before the death certificate was issued another questionable transaction took place: 95,000 shares held in Murasoli’s name were transferred to his wife, Mallika Maran, allegedly without legal heir documentation or board consent. These were later passed on to Kalanithi, further consolidating his grip on the company.

The same pattern allegedly played out in other family-controlled entities – Kungumam Publications, Kungumam Nidhiyagam, Kal Investments – which together held 2.85 lakh Sun TV shares. These, too, were transferred to Kalanithi at face value. The timing, convenient; the pricing, Suspicious. The motive – according to Dayanidhi’s legal team, to ensure unquestioned, quiet control.

For contrast, the notice illustrates that around the same period, Kalanithi had paid ₹3,173.04 per share to M.K. Dayalu, wife of Karunanidhi, for other shares – making the face-value transactions with the rest of the family look even more questionable.

The IPO That Wasn’t What It Seemed?

The 2006 Sun TV IPO, which made the company a stock market heavyweight, is now being dragged back under the scanner. The notice alleges that the Red Herring Prospectusa  (foundational document of any IPO) concealed crucial details, including unapproved internal share transfers.

One major red flag – A ₹10.64 crore dividend payment shown as disbursed to Mallika Maran in 2005 that, according to the notice, was never actually paid.

Where Did the Money Go?
Dayanidhi’s legal team is now connecting the dots, and the dividends, to a sprawling empire. The notice claims that proceeds from these suspect transactions funded marquee investments across the Sun Group universe:

Sun Direct TV, Kal Radios, Kal Airways, Sun Pictures, South Asian FM

Cricket teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape

In short, the empire wasn’t just growing, it was allegedly being built on foundations that Dayanidhi now calls “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The scale, almost ₹8,500 crore. That’s how much, the notice claims, was parked in mutual funds, REITs, and overseas accounts.

The profits – between 2003 and 2023, Kalanithi Maran allegedly received over ₹5,926 crore in dividends, and ₹455 crore in 2024 alone.

The Silent Settlement?
In a curious twist, the notice also references a ₹500 crore payment made to Anbukarasi, the Maran brothers’ sister, in late 2024, shortly after an earlier legal notice in October. The money, it says, was paid via Mallika Maran’s account, again funded by Sun TV dividends. The implication – that it may have been a backdoor settlement, a quiet bid to keep the storm from brewing.

But the storm has arrived and What Dayanidhi wants now is clear:

—Restoration of Sun TV’s shareholding structure to the 2003 setup

—Return of all dividends, assets, and proceeds

—A full-scale investigation into over two decades of corporate conduct

And he’s not stopping with a notice.

The legal assault invokes violations under the Companies Act (1956 & 2013), Indian Penal Code (sections 406, 420, 467, 471, 120-B), SEBI Act, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He plans to approach a slew of regulatory bodies, including:

—-Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)

—-SEBI, NSE, BSE

—-Registrar of Companies

—-Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

—-Directorate General of Civil Aviation

And he’s aiming for blood: cancellation of licences held by the Sun Group across broadcast, print, radio, aviation, and sports, including its IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, and even SpiceJet—where Kalanithi once held a significant stake.

Senior professionals—auditors, advisors, company secretaries, ex-officials—have also been named for possible prosecution, accused of enabling or covering up the transactions.

As of now, Kalanithi Maran has not responded. Repeated attempts to contact him have gone unanswered. SUN TV Network Ltd and other notice recipients have also maintained silence. Neither Dayanidhi nor his lawyer, K. Suresh, have offered further public comment.

But the silence might not last long. This isn’t just a legal battle. It’s a dynastic war over legacy, power, and a media empire worth billions. And for the first time, it’s playing out not behind palace doors, but in full public view.

Dynasties at War, The Marans Join the List of India’s Fiercest Family Feuds

The Maran vs. Maran battle isn’t unfolding in isolation; India’s business history is filled with dynasties built on legacy and torn apart by it.

From five-star boardrooms to courtroom brawls, sibling rivalry, contested wills, and silent settlements have become hallmarks of Indian capitalism. Dayanidhi and Kalanithi now join a growing list of blood relatives-turned-legal combatants.

Take the Lodha brothers. Abhishek Lodha, CEO of Macrotech, recently dragged his brother Abhidandan to court over the right to use the family’s name, a brand worth over ₹100 crore in legal contention alone. The case has now been bumped to a larger bench.

Then there’s the Kalyani family, where the dispute between Baba Kalyani of Bharat Forge and his brother Gaurishankar has opened a legal Pandora’s box over their mother’s will. With conflicting versions and assets nearing ₹70,000 crore – including shares in EV powerhouse Bharat Forge – the battle is far from over.

No list of dynastic wars is complete without the Ambani brothers. After Dhirubhai’s death, the Mukesh-Anil spat nearly shattered Reliance Industries, until their mother, Kokilaben, brokered a truce that birthed two separate empires. The calm after that storm has been relative—but not without its financial twists.

The Modi family feud post-KK Modi’s death has Bina Modi locked in a tense standoff with sons Lalit and Samir over the fate of Modi Enterprises – spanning tobacco to hotels – valued anywhere between ₹11,000 crore and ₹30,000 crore. Godfrey Phillips India remains the crown jewel both sides want to control.

Even the hospitality sector isn’t immune. The Oberois of EIH Ltd, famous for their luxury hotel chain, are now fighting over succession, with Arjun Oberoi pitted against family elders. The Delhi High Court had to step in to freeze share transfers while tempers simmer.

And who can forget the public spat between Gautam Singhania and his father Vijaypat? Despite Raymond Ltd.’s success under Gautam, the family rift over Mumbai’s prime property led to bitter accusations and legal filings. A reconciliation is reportedly underway, but the scars remain.

The Hinduja Group’s $18 billion legacy is also under siege. Their 2014 “everything belongs to everyone” pact has become the very document of discord. Srichand’s daughter, Vinoo, wants out, and wants control over her late father’s estate.

The Munjals, post their Honda split, have branched off too – Hero MotoCorp under Pawan Munjal and Hero Future Energies under Rahul Munjal, steering diverging paths with a visible layer of quiet tension.

Amidst all this chaos, the Godrej family stands tall as the anomaly. Adi, Nadir, and Jamshyd divided their multi-sector ₹1.5 lakh crore empire with minimal fuss, zero drama, and mutual respect, proving that not every family empire needs a courtroom to settle a boardroom.

The Last Bit,

The Maran feud is no longer about just shares, dividends, or media control. It’s a bitter reflection of what happens when power, legacy, and ambition mix inside India’s tightly held business families.

With legal action brewing, media licenses under threat, and the spotlight firmly on one of India’s most politically connected families, the outcome of Maran vs. Maran may not only reshape Sun TV, but serve as a warning to dynasties across the country: In India, empires are often inherited but not always peacefully.