The Sun TV Group has got a shot in the arm with the Madras High Court allowing it to participate in Phase III FM auctions to be conducted by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry.
Ruling on petitions filed by three companies of the Sun TV group — Sun TV Network, South Asia FM and Kal Radio — Justice P Sathyanarayana asked the Ministry not to disclose the outcome of the bid, but to submit it to the court in a sealed cover. The auction is slated for July 27.
Three companies in the Kalanithi Maran-promoted group approached the court after the I&B Ministry rejected their bid applications because they did not have a security clearance from the Home Ministry.
The Home Ministry had denied them clearance on the grounds of pending charges against the group and its owners.
However, according to counsel for petitioners, the court has held that the cases are under investigation and a person is innocent until proven guilty. The Judge observed that none of the companies is arrayed as an accused in any of these cases.
Also the cases are under various stages of investigation. “It is a well settled position of the law, that accused is presumed to be innocent, unless the guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt.”
This presumption operates in favour of the appellant.
The Ministry will conduct e-auctions for 135 private FM channels in 69 cities.