THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two cases were registered against the management and journalists of Mangalam TV, including its CEO R. Ajith Kumar, in connection with the alleged honey-trapping of former transport minister A.K. Saseendran. Non-bailable offences were invoked against the accused. A Special Investi-gation Team led by Crime Branch IG Dinendra Kashyap, constituted on Thur-sday, will question the accused and seize the digital evidences of the conversation. The cases are initiated on the basis of petitions filed by NCP state chief Mujeeb Rahuman and advocate Sreeja Thulasi. Eight others arrai-gned in the case are Mangalam TV chairman Sajan Vargheese, news co-ordinating editors M.B. Santosh and Rishi K. Manoj, investigation team leader K. Jayachandran alias S. Narayanan, news editors and readers Lekshmi Mohan, Firoz Saly Mohammed and S.V. Pradeep and the woman who allegedly honey trapped the minister. In the case registered on the basis of advocate Sreeja Thulasi, seven persons including Mr Ajith were arraigned.
The charges invoked against the accused include Section 67 of Information Technology Act for publishing obscene material in electronic form and 120-B of Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, police sources expressed fear that the delay in initiating a probe into the incident would have given the accused enough scope to destroy evidence relating to the case. The channel telecast the conversation of the minister on March 26 as part of its launch. Police announced the probe into the matter close on the heels of Mr Ajith Kumar tendering an apology on Thursday evening for telecasting the report against the minister and maintained that it was a sting operation. Palakkad district police chief Prateesh Kumar, Kottayam district police chief N. Ramachandran, Hi-Tech cell DySP E.S. Bijumon, Crime Branch DySP Shanavas and woman sub-inspector Sudhakumari are the members in the investigation team. Mr Bijumon will be the investigation officer.
In a related development, Mujeeb Rahuman filed a fresh petition with Indian Boradcasting Foundation alleging that Mangalam TV violated the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act. He said in the complaint that the channel aired obscene conversation deliberately. The Parappanamgadi police earlier registered a case against the channel authorities on the basis of a petition of a 20-year-old girl that a picture of her along with Saseedran at a inaugural function was being circulated on the social media. Meanwhile, the police is yet to act on a petition filed by Congress MLA Anil Akkara seeking action against Mr Saseendran for the sleaze talk with a woman. The state police chief had earlier sought legal opinion on the petition.
