Delhi Police on Friday arrested the reporter who carried out an 'expose' of a sex racket allegedly involving a woman teacher as the High Court got into action.
NEW DELHI: In a new turn of events that have brought TV sting operations under the scanner, Delhi Police on Friday arrested the reporter who carried out an 'expose' of a sex racket allegedly involving a woman teacher as the High Court got into action following reports that the undercover operation was fake and distorted.
Prakash Singh, a reporter of the channel Live India that aired the sting operation last week, was arrested after it reportedly turned out that the girl who appeared in it making allegations against Uma Khurana, the teacher, was not a student but an aspiring journalist.
Delhi Police, which arrested Khurana shortly after the sting was aired last week resulting in violence outside her school in Old Delhi, was not forthcoming on reports that it had found no evidence against her that she pushed her students into prostitution as claimed by the channel.
The TV channel, however, said it believed the story to be true but had issued a show-cause notice to the reporter even as political parties that have mostly been at the receiving end of sting operations said there should be some kind of regulations on the media in this regard.
The Delhi High Court issued notices to the city government and police after taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that the sting operation was fake and distorted.
The TV sting had resulted in largescale violence outside a school in Old Delhi where Khurana worked and prompted Delhi Government to first suspend her and then terminate her services.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the latest developments in the case, Delhi government said it would await the full report of the Crime Branch's probe into the matter before deciding on the future course of action.
"We assure you that injustice will not be done to anybody," Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said when asked if the government would reinstate Khurana if police gave her a clean chit.
Sudheer Choudhary, CEO of Live India, the channel that aired the sting operation, said, "We believe that story is true in the sense Uma Khurana is guilty. And she is worthy of being punished. The police is investigating the matter and we will cooperate in the investigation in whatever way we can."
He, however, said: "Right now I am not defending the reporter nor defending the weakness and weak links in the sting operation."
Choudhary said in the wake of media reports and police investigations, the channel management issued a show-cause notice to the reporter.
"We are just waiting for the police report and if it is proved that he did not follow the standard procedures of journalism, then we will take very strict action against the reporter," he said.
Concerned over reports that the TV expose was fake, the Government and opposition both sought "some kind of regulation" on the media.
Taking a serious view of the matter, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi warned TV channels of action if they were found resorting to unfair means to boost television ratings.
Favouring regulation of media, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, a former I&B minister, said the issue should not be restricted to sting operations alone.
"There should be a wide-ranging discussion on the mode of regulation and the regulator, on what all issues media should be held responsible," she said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}