Coming down on sting operations shown on television channels, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said these are done for minting money and the issue has to be gone into.
"Whether it (sting operation) is in public interest or to make money will have to be examined one day," a Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal said.
Observing that sting operations are generally outsourced, the Bench also comprising Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran, said, "Very often these tapes are sold for lakhs of rupees by those who do the string operation."
Those who conduct sting operations do it with the purpose of minting money and go from one channel to another for selling the CDs/tapes, the Bench said.
Without taking the name of Minister of State for Home Affairs Manik Rao Gavit, it referred to the sting operation shown on a TV channel about the conversation between the Union minister and a person lodged in an Uttar Pradesh jail.
"Recently, one channel had shown the conversation between a minister and a person in jail. Subsequently nothing was found," the Bench said.
The court's observation came when senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi mentioned a petition filed by Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief of TV channel CNN-IBN, seeking a stay on a Uttar Pradesh Assembly order directing him to appear before it in connection with a breach of privilege charge slammed against him for telecasting a sting operation involving its legislators.
The Bench will hear Sardesai's plea on Thursday.
Sardesai said the UP Assembly had passed a resolution and asked the police to produce him in custody on October 27.
The Assembly had directed the production of Sardesai after one of its committees held him guilty of breach of privilege and contempt for his failure to appear before it.
