Uma Khurana granted bail

New Delhi, Sep 10: A city court today granted bail to Uma Khurana, an accused in the ''fake sting'' teacher sex racket case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Alok Aggarwal granted bail to Khurana on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 and said ''she is more a victim than an offender''.

A sting by 'Live India' television channel showed Khurana, a mathematics teacher of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, running a syndicate of prostitution and making pornographic films, featuring her present and former girl students.

However, the sting turned out to be fake and Live India's reporter, Prakash Singh, was arrested. On Saturday, Singh was sent in seven-day judicial custody.

The Magistrate today directed Police to produce Singh in court tomorrow.

The police on Saturday questioned Sudhir Chaudhary, CEO of 'Live India' for about one-and-a-half hours.

''He told the police that the reporter, Prakash Singh, did not take the channel into confidence about any of his 'manipulations' or that he knew the girl or her identity,'' Police spokesperson Ranjan Bhagat said. Instead, he said she was a hooker, as his 'operation' showed, he said.

Mr Bhagat said the Delhi Police would seek ''production warrant'' of Uma Khurana in order to get her voice sample, which would be matched with that in the video recording.

''This we are doing as we want to go into all aspects of the case against her before it is withdrawn.'' The airing of the operation had led to mob violence near Turkman Gate in Central Delhi's Daryaganj area on August 30.

So far, four people have been arrested in the case and all of them are presently in judicial custody.

UNI