HC refuses to stay proceedings against scribe

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to stay the proceedings against a journalist who had carried out sting operation on 11 former MPs for allegedly taking money to ask questions in parliament in 2005 and challenged the trial court's summons against him in the cash-for-query scam.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to stay the proceedings against a journalist who had carried out sting operation on 11 former MPs for allegedly taking money to ask questions in parliament in 2005 and challenged the trial court's summons against him in the cash-for-query scam.

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The court, however, exempted him from appearing in person before the trial court till its further order.

Justice Mool Chand Garg's order came on the plea of Anirudh Bahal, Editor-in-Chief of web portal Cobra Post, that the police have wrongly filed the chargesheet against him in the FIR registered against the corrupt MPs.

Bahal said the journalists, who had conducted the sting operation against the parliamentarians, should have been made witnesses in the case but not the accused.

Delhi Police had charge sheeted the 11 former MPs for misusing their office when they were caught on camera seeking money during a sting operation in 2005 for asking questions in Parliament in return for money in what came to be known as cash-for-query scam.

Among the then lawmakers who were expelled by the Speaker after being caught on camera, one Raja Rampal, who was re-elected as a Lok Sabha member, has not been summoned as his name has been put by the police in column number two (list containing names against whom enquiry is pending) and the police had yet not received sanction for prosecuting him.