NEW DELHI: Top home ministry officials have refrained from participating in a consultation process initiated with the law ministry by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) over the last one week regarding the denial of security clearance to Sun TV. 

In the past one week since ET broke the story on June 6, MIB officials have already held meetings with the law secretary and top officials in the law ministry with discussions over the definition of economic security and legal implications of the case. But top MHA officials, it is believed, kept away from these meetings, in a signal of further intensification of the tussle between the two ministries. The matter could now be referred to Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi even as Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran is set to be in Delhi this week to meet top officials from both home ministry and MIB and press his case for a security clearance. 

The MIB expects the MHA to come around if the AG's opinion is in Sun TV's favour but MHA officials told ET that are wary of an Hindalco case redux. MHA officials say a review at their level, on MIB's insistence or Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran's letter for the same may mean a "lurking danger" of CBI questioning at some stage why the decision was changed. In Hindalco case, former coal secretary PC Parakh and ex-PM Manmohan Singh were summoned by court for changing a government decision and allotting the company a coal mine. 

AMHA official said the law ministry or AG has to first "take onus" of any recommendation that the cases against the promoters of Sun TV can be delinked from the security clearance to the company. "Let a legal authority take responsibility for such a review of the existing position... we will then take a call," a MHA official said. Sun TV has said it will move Madras High Court if the government does not change its stand. "We would prefer the matter to be settled in the court as well and MIB to contest," the MHA official said. At MIB, officials confirm that top MHA officials are reluctant to change their stand or attend meetings for discussions. 


"MHA officials need to participate in our consultations with law secretary which will help us to be on the same page. They must explain what in their scrutiny of the Sun TV network was seen as a threat to the nation so that when the matter is taken to the court, we are not faulted. But they are reluctant to even review their stance or participate in meetings with law ministry officials," a MIB official said. 

The home ministry had said that the grant of security licences to Sun TV would impact 'economic security' of the country. The home ministry has maintained that Sun TV could not be granted security clearance as its promoters were facing serious charges in connection with several investigations. 

The ministry had cited three reasons: the Aircel-Maxis deal corruption case, money laundering case against Marans being probed by ED and case relating to operation of an illegal exchange. The denial of clearance had prompted Kalanithi Maran to write to finance ministerArun Jaitley and home minister Rajnath Singh asking them to intervene on the issue saying his company was never involved in any anti-nationaland was being singled out in the denial.