While granting interim protection from arrest to Zee Group head Subhash Chandra and his son, a local court here asked them to cooperate with the police in investigating the case lodged by former MP Naveen Jindal, in which two editors of Zee allegedly tried to extort '100 crores. Additional sessions judge Raj Rani Mitra also directed the crime branch of the Delhi police not to arrest Mr Subhash Chandra and his son Punit Goenka during the course of interrogation on December 8, and to file a fresh report on December 14, the day when their interim protection from arrest expires. The court also asked the father-son duo to surrender their passport to the investigation officer. “The matter be re-notified for further arguments and fresh report from the investigating officer (IO) on December 14. In the meantime, applicants shall not be arrested. However, they are directed to surrender their passports to the IO,” the court said. The court’s order came on the anticipatory bail plea moved by senior advocate Geeta Luthra and Vijay Aggarwal on behalf of Mr Chandra and his son saying they will join the investigation if assured not to be arrested by the agency during the course of interrogation, in which two senior editors were arrested on November 27 and lodged in jail since then. However, during the proceeding, additional public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan opposed the plea submitted by the counsels appearing for the father-son duo and said the agency cannot give assurance whether to arrest them or not, and further emphasised, “The moment we get a lead of the alleged extortion made on behalf of Zee Group by their two editors, we will arrest them.” He also contended that the two arrested Zee editors could not have taken up a big decision which involves the company especially without consent from the organizing head. According to the complaint by Mr. Jindal, Zee News tried to extort Rs. 100 crore in exchange for not airing unfavourable stories linking him and his group to the coal blocks allocation scam, which rocked the UPA government earlier this year. Jindal Steel Power Limited (JPSPL) is among the companies named in the CAG report as one of the beneficiaries of the controversial coal block allocations. Both Chaudhary and Ahluwalia, presently lodged in Tihar jail, have been booked under section 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC.
