Police charge sheet Zee boss, two editors

Delhi Police have charge-sheeted Zee Group chairperson Subhash Chandra and Zee editors Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia for their alleged bid to extort Rs 100 crore from a company of industrialist and Congress MP Naveen Jindal.

Delhi Police have charge-sheeted Zee Group chairperson Subhash Chandra and Zee editors Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia for their alleged bid to extort Rs 100 crore from a company of industrialist and Congress MP Naveen Jindal.

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The charge sheet, filed in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) Amit Bansal, has named Chandra, Zee News channel head Chaudhary and Zee Business channel editor and business head Ahluwalia under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating).

However, Chandra’s son Punit Goenka and his brother Jawahar Lal Goel have not been charge-sheeted for want of evidence against them at this stage, but further probe is on against them.

The Delhi Police have cited 34 witnesses and submitted a list of 76 documents, including a CD and transcript of an alleged conversation of Zee editors Chaudhary and Ahluwalia with Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) officials in a sting operation, in support of the charge sheet.

They have also submitted CFSL reports to support authenticity of the CDs.

The CMM will consider the charge sheet on August 19 to decide whether to take cognisance of the offences and proceed against the accused.

The Delhi Police crime branch had registered the case last year on the basis of a complaint by JSPL. Chaudhary and Ahluwalia, arrested in connection with the case in November 2012, are currently out on bail.

The Zee Group has maintained that it has been targeted for highlighting the alleged involvement of Jindal group in Coalgate.