Prashant Bhushan files contempt plea against Amar Singh

Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan today filed a contempt petition in the Supreme court against former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh over the CD controversy. In his petition Bhushan said that the CD had been doctored, with the intention of maligning his reputation. HT reports. Fair probe

Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a contempt petition in the Supreme court against former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh over the CD controversy. The CD allegedly showed him (Bhushan) talking to to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh about fixing a judge for Rs 4 crore.

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In his petition Bhushan said that the CD had been doctored with the intention of maligning his reputation.

Demanding a suo moto investigation into the matter, the petion said that the forensic report of the CD showed that tampering was done with the CD.

Meanwhile, former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh has denied doctoring a CD allegedly containing a conversation with Shanti Bhushan and said the senior lawyer, who is co-chair of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, should give his voice sample for analysis.

"Why the hell will I make the CD where my voice is also there? From day one, I am saying that the CD is doctored, spliced," Singh told CNN-IBN channel.

"Shanti Bhushan should give his voice sample," said Amar Singh.

Prashant Bhushan, who is Shanti Bhushan's son and a member of the Lokpal panel, had got two top forensic labs specialising in audio analysis to certify that the CD was a fake. It allegedly contained a conversation between Shanti Bhushan, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and now expelled party leader Amar Singh.

Prashant Bhushan said Sunday that the CD was doctored to derail the civil society movement against graft and the proceedings in two important Supreme Court cases.

Amar Singh threatened to launch a defamation suit against the Bhushans, and also file a contempt of court petition.

Singh said Prashant Bhushan should not have played an earlier CD which was the subject of a court case. Bhushan had claimed that the latest CD had entire conversations cut and spliced together from the previous audio disc.

"In spite of that (being sub-judice and dispute of authenticity), excerpts were read by Prashant Bhushan from CD (at press conference). I will tell him that 'papa don't preach'," said Singh, claiming that he would file a contempt of court plea against him.

"I will file a defamation suit against them," Amar Singh asserted, claiming the Bhushans had said he was the 'producer' of the CD.

The alleged conversation in the CD has Shanti Bhushan, a former law minister, promising Mulayam Singh about influencing a judge for a price and suggesting that Prashant Bhushan will faciliate the "fixing".

Amar Singh said that while his and Mulayam Singh's voices were spliced from earlier recordings, he wondered what context Shanti Bhushan's voice had been lifted from that would mention a large cash figure.

(with inputs from IANS)