Cash-for-warrant: SC wants apology from reporter

Four years after Zee TV carried a sting operation purportedly to expose corruption in the lower judiciary by showing how fake warrants could be arranged, the Supreme Court on Wednesday once again reiterated its annoyance towards the expose and the reporter who carried it and insisted for an “unconditional and proper apology” from him. For, according to the apex court, the expose was in bad taste and an attempt to malign the judiciary.

A Bench, presided by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, appeared firm on seeking an apology from Vijay Shekhar, the reporter who carried out the sting. Senior counsel Arun Jaitley appearing for the reporter argued how the sting operation was aimed at exposing corruption in lower judiciary. He even apprised the Bench, also comprising Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal, that the channel and the reporter had sought apex court’s permission before going ahead in telecasting the said operation.

Unfazed by the submission, the Bench remarked, “But it was a criminal act. You must apologise.”

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Repeating the directive to file an unconditional apology by way of an affidavit, the court even suggested, “At least file the affidavit explaining the bona fide of your sting operation.”

Earlier, too, the Bench on July 26 and November 22 last year had asked the correspondent to seek an apology from the court.

The sting had showed how fake bailable warrants could be procured against any person in consideration of hefty amount paid to the court.

The sting operation had shown four such bailable warrants being procured from the court of a district in Gujarat in the name of the then President A P J Abdul Kalam, the then Chief Justice of India V N Khare, Supreme Court Judge B P Singh and a senior advocate.

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Granting the reporter time to file an affidavit within six weeks, the Bench adjourned the matter.