The Hindu : National : Zee TV asked to tender apology

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Friday, Nov 23, 2007
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Zee TV asked to tender apology

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Vijay Shekar, journalist, and Zee television to tender apology for conducting a “cash for warrant” sting operation, in which an Ahmedabad Magistrate issued warrants against a former President, a former Chief Justice of India and two others.

Court not satisfied

A three-Judge Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justices R.V. Raveendran and J.M. Panchal, asked them to file an affidavit in four weeks, expressing apology. The court had issued a notice seeking their response as to why they should not be prosecuted for conducting the operation with malicious intent to tarnish the lower judiciary’s image.

Though they filed their response, the court was not satisfied with the reply. It granted four weeks time to file fresh affidavits, expressing apology. It did not accept the petitioner’s submission that the operation was conducted to expose such “cash for warrant scam” in the lower judiciary.

Sting operation

The warrants against the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former Chief Justice of India, V.N. Khare, a former judge of the apex court, Justice B.P. Singh, and R.K. Jain, a senior lawyer (who is no more) were obtained in a sting operation by Mr. Vijay Shekhar.

He paid Rs 40,000 to three Ahmedabad-based advocates, who in turn obtained bailable warrants from the Magistrate on the basis of a fictitious complaint.

Warrants quashed

The court had quashed the bailable arrest warrants issued by Magistrate M.S. Brahm Bhatt, holding that the complaint was “ex-facie fraud.”

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