Narada sting: Calcutta High Court forms three-member committee to investigate tapes

Calcutta High Court formed a three-member committee on Monday to collect the raw footage and devices with which the Narada news sting operation on Trinamool Congress leaders was shot.

The committee will comprise of an IGP rank officer of the West Bengal Police appointed by the state DGP. The zonal wing of CBI, Kolkata will depute a DIG rank officer to be a part of the committee, besides an officer of the Calcutta High Court.

This three-member committee will travel all the way to Delhi and collect the raw footage and devices from journalist Mathew Samuel.

As far as the committee’s whereabouts and who all are a part of it, this will be kept confidential to ensure security for Samuel.

Once the footage is brought to the city, the court will examine it and decide in whose custody it will be kept.

The decision by the court comes in the wake of Samuel not submitting the raw footage to the court fearing a threat to his life. At a recent hearing at the Calcutta High Court, the counsel appearing for Samuel had said that he is willing to submit the raw footage and devices to an investigating agency but not the court, as he fears for his life.

Three PILs have been filed with the Calcutta High Court to unearth the truth about the sting operation.