FIR accuses ‘Mangalam’ channel employees of criminal conspiracy

Thiruvananthapuram: Nine employees of 'Mangalam' channel had allegedly entered into a 'criminal conspiracy' to malign A K Saseendran, who resigned as transport minister, according to the FIR in the case.

The accused had aired the audio tape of the sleaze talk purportedly involving Saseendran on their channel and put it out it in its Facebook page, the FIR said.

"The accused from one to nine had entered into a criminal conspiracy for the marketing of the channel and with an intention to defame the minister," it said.

The FIR was registered against nine persons, including Mangalam channel's CEO and Managing Director R Ajit Kumar, on a complaint by Mujeeb Rahman, state president, Nationalist Youth Congress.

Making its debut, the channel had on March 26 aired the audio clip of the purported talk of Transport Minister A K Saseendran, NCP representative in the LDF cabinet, with a woman, after which he had resigned the same day.

In a twist to the episode, the channel had tendered an apology later for airing the contents and admitted it was a "sting operation" involving one of its women journalists and not a housewife, as it had claimed earlier.

The state government had ordered a judicial probe by a former district judge and a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the alleged sleaze talk incident.

Meanwhile, DGP Loknath Behera today said an impartial probe would be carried out in the sleaze case.

"A group of efficient officers were included in the special team appointed by the government to investigate the controversial case," he told reporters.

Stringent action would be taken against the guilty after the probe, he said.