Sun TV family feud: Maran brothers reach truce as CM Stalin intervenes

New Delhi: In a significant development for India’s media industry, the long-standing feud between Sun TV Network chairman Kalanithi Maran and his brother, former Union Minister and DMK parliamentarian Dayanidhi Maran, appears to be heading for a resolution following mediation by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Sources close to the matter indicate that CM Stalin, a cousin of the Marans, played a pivotal role in bringing both brothers to the negotiating table, underlining the political importance of ending the public dispute within one of Tamil Nadu’s most influential families. 

The peace talks reportedly included the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin and the Marans’ sister, Anbukarasi.

The settlement, whose details remain unclear, comes weeks after Dayanidhi Maran served a strongly worded legal notice on June 10, 2025, alleging fraud, cheating, and money laundering against Kalanithi Maran and seven other respondents, including Kalanithi’s wife, Kaveri Maran. 

The notice demanded the restoration of the company’s shareholding to its original 2003 structure, invoking the legacy of their late father, Murasoli Maran, and other senior members of the extended Karunanidhi family.

The document accused Kalanithi Maran of engineering a complex scheme after the death of their father in 2003, which, according to the notice, resulted in the transfer and undervaluation of shares to consolidate his control over Sun TV. 

The allegations stated that 12 lakh shares were allotted to Kalanithi at a face value of Rs 10 each at a time when the market value was between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000, a move described as a “criminal breach of trust and cheating.” 

The result, the notice alleged, was a dramatic reduction in the family’s ownership, with Kalanithi emerging as the majority shareholder, now holding 75% of the listed Sun TV Network.

The legal notice further threatened civil, criminal, regulatory, and enforcement action, including a possible investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), and accused Kalanithi of deriving substantial dividends, Rs 5,926 crore in 2023 and Rs 455 crore in 2024, while other family members were allegedly deprived of their fair share.

Despite the gravity of the charges, Sun TV clarified that the matter was strictly a family issue and had no bearing on company operations, even as the controversy put pressure on Sun TV shares.

Whether the settlement entails a monetary agreement, a business division, or both, remains unclear as of the filing of this report. However, sources say the intervention of CM MK Stalin and key family members was instrumental in brokering the truce. 

As of now, official responses from both Kalanithi and Dayanidhi Maran, as well as Sun TV Network, remain awaited.