Reprieve for Rajdeep Sardesai in UP contempt case

Lucknow, Nov 9 (UNI) CNN-IBN Managing Editor Rajdeep Sardesai today received a reprieve as his appearance before the Uttar Pradesh assembly was postponed by another 12 days.

Sardesai, facing charge of contempt of house in connection with a sting operation, was to appear in the UP assembly tomorrow.

But an all-party meeting here this evening decided to postpone his appearance and fixed November 22 as the next date.

Earlier, Sardesai was to appear on October 27, but the date was extended to November 10.

The Mulayam Singh Yadav government will bring the third supplementary budget tommorrow as the house will sit after a gap of a month. The supplementary budget is expected to be approved on the same day.

The assembly met last on October 11, when the entire house took strong exception over Sardesai's ''non-cooperation'' in the probe of the house committee in a sting operation telecast by the channel on February 15 involving three state MLAs.

Principal secretary (assembly) R P Pandey said here the all-party meeting also decided to send only a notice to Mr Sardesai for his appearance rather than summoning him under police custody.

''When Mr Sardesai has already said in the Supreme Court, he is ready to appear before the UP assembly, there is no need to issue a summon,'' the party party meeting resolved.

It is also been reported that CNN-IBN had sent the original CD of the sting operation to the state assembly.

On October 11, Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey had directed production of Sardesai under police custody, after the house unanimously resolved on contempt proceedings on him for not appearing in person or handing over the original CD to the house committee probing the sting operation involving three sitting MLAs.

The 11-member committee on September 14 had presented its interim report recommending summoning the channel head.

Committee head P K Rai said even after several requests, Sardesai did not appear before it nor provided the original CD of the sting.

On February 15, news channels CNN-IBN and IBN 7 had telecast the sting operation called 'Neta Bikta Hai' on three MLAs Mahboob Ali (SP), Somaru Ram Saroj (BJP) and Anil Kumar Maurya (BSP), who were purportedly shown indulging in corrupt practices including hawala and drug peddling.

During discussion over the interim report on the sting operation in the assembly, except for BJP's Narendra Singh Gaur, all members criticised the role of media, particularly private news channels for ''defaming politicians'' for TRPs.

Mr Gaur, however, defended the channel saying how could the house save the guilty legislators and punish the person, who had unearthed the crime.

Demanding a CBI probe, the BJP MLA from Allahabad and one of the committee members said the interim report was prepared to safeguard the interests of the three MLAs.

However, Mr Rai said he had only submitted an interim report on the sting operation and it would be too early to say that the three concerned MLAs would be given a clean chit.

UNI MB VS YA MIR RAI1851