MUMBAI: The capital has once again come under the scanner with disturbing occurrence of a five-year-old girl?s rape by two men. Zee News has broadcast the first ever live interview of Gudiya?s (the name given to the victim) father with Mimansa Malik on the channel, first aired at 8.00 pm on 26 April in a special show apart from covering the shocking incident in its regular news bulletins.

Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said, ?Zee News has always been a pioneer in highlighting social issues. Zee News has been providing ?aam aadmi? a platform for voicing their concerns and being heard by others and the authorities in line with its philosophy ?Soch Badlo Desh Badlo?. We will continue to air and support such causes in the future as well, since we think the nation needs awakening.?

The incident took place on the evening of 15 April when the girl went missing and even after trying to look for her everywhere the family could not locate her. Fearing the worst the father rushed to the police, who instead of trying to help in the rescue operation just harassed the father. The police didn?t lodge a complaint till late after midnight after much persuasion and pleading.

Malik said, ?The next day no one from the police station even bothered to enquire from us about Gudiya. The neighbors heard her cries; they broke open the door and found Gudiya. We requested the police to come to the spot (and see it themselves) but they asked us to pick them from the police station. The police did not help us at all.?

The incident was recently reported across news channels, that a five-year-old girl had been held hostage and raped by a neighbor and his friend, in Gandhi Nagar, East Delhi. The assault was so brutal that it has startled the entire nation (recollection of the Damini / Nirbhaya case).

?Even Sonia Gandhiji has visited us and blessed the child and touched her forehead. She also promised that she will make sure that something substantial is done for the child. Even though she said this, nothing has been yet communicated to us. We are still waiting that she keeps her word.? He proclaimed.

The father of the girl wants to ensure that the accused be tried and the girl gets her justice. The latest atrocity does nothing to change the perception that authorities remain interested in only paying lip service to the cause of securing rights of women in the country, while little change is effected on the ground.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court has said that steel magnate Naveen Jindal?s alleged call to News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) chairman Justice J S Verma does not amount to an offence of criminal misconduct within the meaning of Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In the case filed by Zee News Ltd seeking intervention of the Central Bureau of Investigation against Jindal for invoking Justice Verma, Special CBI Judge Dharmesh Sharma said: ?At this stage, assuming for the sake of convenience that such act was indeed committed by accused no. 1 (Jindal), it could only be said to be in the realm of moral turpitude or unethical conduct that by no stretch of legal latitude could be said to constitute an offence of criminal misconduct within the meaning of Section 13 (1) (d) of the P. C. Act.?

?Again assuming for the sake of convenience the fact attributed to the accused (Jindal) could only be perceived as having been done by him in his capacity as a CEO of a private company to show his might upon a non-governmental organization (NBSA) that cannot constitute an offence within the meaning of Section 13 (1) (d) of the P. C. Act.?

Zee News counsel Vijay Aggarwal, however, said he would pursue the matter in the Delhi High Court: ?The court has expressed doubts whether calling NBSA, in view of it being a private body, is unethical, criminal or not. Also, in view of the investigation being ordered, it may bring disrepute to NBSA and might affect pendency of civil suit defamation before the High Court of Mumbai.?

On 14 January, the court had taken consideration in the complaint made by Zee News before CBI against Jindal. The case was filed after the CBI did not take action on a complaint made against Jindal after his reported call to Justice Verma before he could make a pronouncement based on Jindal?s complaint against Zee News. While dismissing Jindal?s case, Justice Verma had taken umbrage to the complainant?s conduct.

Zee News Editors Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia have alleged that they have been falsely implicated in a case relating to a series of exposes in the Coalgate scam involving Congress MP and industrialist Jindal. The two Zee editors wanted to expose Jindal?s template of silencing media coverage of Coalgate through a Rs One billion advertisement contract.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday issued directions to the investigating officer to acquire the phone records of steel magnate Naveen Jindal, a few of his relatives and some Jindal Steel officials for the period from September to November 2012 and preserve them.

The directions were issued on applications by Zee News Limited under Section 156(3) IPC on behalf of its chairman Subhash Chandra
and its Editor Sudhir Chaudhary.

Zee News counsel Vijay Aggarwal was directed by the Court to file on the next date of hearing, 22 January, the mobile numbers of Naveen Jindal, his uncle Sitaram Jindal, his brother Prithvi Jindal, Ravi Muthreja, Sushil Maroo, Vivek Mittal and Rajeev Bhaduria.

The applications by ZNL had also sought further examining Sitaram Jindal, Prithvi Jindal and Naveen Jindal.

Chaudhary?s application also wanted further examination of Muthreja, Maroo, Mittal and Bhaduria.

Zee News had alleged that investigations into the case against its editors over allegations of attempt to extort money from Jindal Steel were "one-sided". It had demanded JSPL promoter Naveen Jindal, his brother Prithvi Jindal and uncle Sitaram Jindal be interrogated.

ZNL?s counsel Vijay Aggarwal had moved an application alleging that the Delhi Police conducted a "one-sided investigation" into Jindal Steel?s allegation that Chaudhary and Zee News Business Editor Samir Alhuwalia had sought to extort money in exchange for not covering allegations of wrong doing by Jindals in the coal mines allocation scam.

The Zee News counsel had also filed an application pleading for the court "to monitor the investigation as Delhi Police is focusing solely on the false complaint by Naveen Jindal".

The news channel had further demanded that all call records of all the phones used by Jindal and his relatives to contact the Zee News non-executive chairman should be seized.

Zee News? Sudhir Chaudhury and Samir Alhuwalia were arrested in November following a complaint by Jindal Steel alleging they had made a Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) extortion bid but were later released on bail.

MUMBAI: A Delhi court has allowed Zee Group chairman Subhash Chandra to undergo a lie detector test in the presence of his lawyer on a plea filed by him based on the advice of his doctors.

Allowing the plea of Chandra, Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao said, ?As far as accused Subhash Chandra is concerned, he has consented for the test. I have gone through his statement?.

?In terms of his statement as well as in terms of input provided by Dr Asha Srivastava, Senior Scientific Officer..., which have been made aware to the accused, the accused shall consult his doctor and thereafter undergo the test.

?The test shall be conducted... the accused shall have the right to take along with him his counsel.?

Zee News Limited (ZNL) is fighting a legal battle with Congress MP Naveen Jindal who has alleged that the Zee News editors Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia tried to extort Rs 1 billion from his company officials to go slow on its coverage of alleged Coal scam.

Jindal?s company is also alleged to have benefited from arbitrary allocation of coal blocks by the Government of India.

The court also rejected Delhi Police plea to subject the two arrested editors for the polygraph test as they refused to give their consent. The court, however, granted permission to the police to collect voice sample of Ahluwalia and Chaudhary.

Chaudhary and Ahluwalia were arrested on 27 November and are presently lodged in Tihar jail. The two will remain in judicial custody till 22 December after their bail plea was rejected.

Dismissing Delhi Police?s plea for subjecting Chaudhary and Ahluwalia to a lie detector test, the court said: ?In terms of the statement made by the accused, Samir and Sudhir wherein they have not consented to undergo the lie detector test...the application of IO is dismissed as the accused persons cannot be forced or compelled to undergo the same as it violates the right against self incrimination. Article 20 (3) of the constitution protects their right.?

MUMBAI: With competition hotting up in the news channel turf, Janmat is planning a major makeover. Shifting from its primary positioning as a ?views? channel, the focus will now be on offering news as it expands its infrastructure network across the country.

While news will broadly take up 70 per cent of the content, 20 per cent will be on analysis and 10 per cent on interviews. "We are re-launching the channel. We will be news rather than programme-driven. Analysis will supplement the news and not the other way round," says Janmat editor and CEO Sudhir Chaudhary.

The upgradation will involve an investment of Rs 400 million. "Speed and selection of news will be important for us. What we hope would set us apart is viewer-oriented packaging and our focus on news that viewers can use," says Chaudhary.

Acting to this plan, Janmat has added bureaus in Srinagar, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Guwahati to its existing ones in Mumbai and Delhi. The Marathi reporters of sister channel Mi Marathi will also pool in their resources.

Some of the existing programmes will get a makeover to fit into the channel?s new image while others will be axed. Prime time shows are going to be slotted between 7-11 pm and will include top stories of the day, news makers and news analysis.

The channel will also have shows on sports, astrology, entertainment and business, informs Chaudhary. Talk shows and features on soft news will dot the programming on Saturdays and Sundays.

The core target audience of the channel will be in the 25-44 age group. "Ours will be a common man?s channel," says Chaudhary.

Janmat?s updated studio will include "Octopus" automation system and "Wizrti" graphic software which creates virtual sets (like a stadium when the anchor is presenting a show). They have also got a dozen of OV vans all over country.The sets have been redesigned by art director Nitin Desai (of Jodha Akbar and Mission Kashmir fame).

"We will concentrate on both the perception and the numbers game," Chaudhary says.