SC issues showcause notice to Zee News, scribe

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) The Supreme Court today issued notices to Zee News and its reporter Vijay Shekhar to show cause why they should not be prosecuted for carrying out a sting operation.

The showcause notices are a fallout of a pending writ petition by Shekhar highlighting that a judicial order can be procured on payment Taking serious note of the sting operation, a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balalkrishnan, Justices D K Jain and V S Sirpurkarthe said the reporter of the news channel had tried to show the judiciary in a bad light.

When the matter came up for a hearing today, the court enquired whether the reporter and the satellite channel were issued notices in the matter. And when the court was informed that no such notices were issued to them, the court issued the same to the duo.

Bogus warrants had been issued by a metropolitan magistrate, Ahmedabad, against President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Chief Justice of India V N Khare, sitting Supreme Court judge Justice B P Singh and senior counsel R K Jain, who has since died.

A sting operation was conducted on January 15, 2004, to expose the racket going on in the district court where warrants were being issued against innocent people just to harass and intimidate them.

During the operation, money was paid to the counsel, who was the President of the District Bar Association concerned.

The apex court had stayed the warrants which were returnable by February 17, 2004.

The journalist had allegedly paid Rs 40,000 for getting bogus warrants issued against the dignitaries without any complaint.

The magistrate concerned, Braham Dutt, has since been exonerated following inquiry and reinstated and the case against the lawyer has not started till date.

UNI