Chennai, July 13 (IANS) Media mogul Kalanithi Maran, managing director of the Rs.19 billion Sun TV Network Ltd, was summoned to appear before the police Wednesday morning in connection with a cheating case lodged against the company's movie division Sun Pictures but sought time till July 26 to do so.


The police had issued the summons to Maran Tuesday night.

According to the police, Maran's counsel had come to the station and submitted a letter seeking time till July 26 for his appearance owing to his prior business engagements.

Maran has said that he would appear before the police on a mutually convenient date and give his explanation to the complaints.

"Kalanithi Maran has been summoned to enquire about the complaints lodged against Sun Pictures," said a police official at K.K. Nagar police station.

Police had recently arrested Sun Pictures' Chief Operating Officer Hans Raj Saxena on a cheating complaint lodged by movie distributor T.S. Selvaraj.

Selvaraj had complained that Saxena cheated him of around Rs.8 million and threatened him when he asked for the money in connection with the distribution of Tamil movie "Theerada Vilayattu Pillai".

Maran is the grand nephew of DMK President M.Karunanidhi and the son of late DMK leader and union minister Murasoli Maran. He is the elder brother of Dayanidhi Maran who recently resigned as union textiles minister following allegations of corruption in the allocation of 2G spectrum.

The Sun group consists of 20 satellite television channels, a direct-to-home (DTH) service company, 45 FM radio stations, four weekly magazines, two dailies and low cost carrier SpiceJet.