The Madras High Court Bench on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation petition filed by the Consumer Right Protection Council here seeking a direction to the Union Government to revoke the Direct to Home (DTH) licence granted to Sun Direct TV Private Limited. A Division Bench of Justice A. Kulasekaran and Justice P. Murgesen doubted the credentials of the council and its involvement in public cause.
They said the Supreme Court had held that courts had to act ruthlessly while dealing with busybodies, meddlesome interlopers, wayfarers or officious interveners impersonating as public-spirited holy men.
Pointing out that a similar PIL petition filed last year by a cable television operator of Tirumangalam was withdrawn after a few hearings, the judges said: “The petitioner herein just copied the said affidavit and prayer in that case and filed the petition, without making any effort at filing an independent affidavit of its own for reasons best known to it, …purportedly for public interest.”
The judges also rejected the petitioner’s allegation that Kalanidhi Maran, chairman and managing director of Sun Network, had violated the Union Ministry of Communication’s guideline that a DTH licensee could not hold more than 20 per cent equity share in a broadcasting company and vice-versa.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Communication made it clear that there was no cross-holding of Sun TV Private Limited in Sun Direct TV, and holding of share by an individual in both the companies would not be hit by the regulations governing the DTH service, the Bench said.