Forensic tests of Narada tapes now at CFSL Chandigarh

With the CFSL Hyderabad expressing its inability, the Calcutta High Court on Friday directed sending the Narada sting tapes to the Chandigarh laboratory for forensic examination.

Hearing multiple litigations seeking probe into the sting which allegedly caught several leaders of the West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress accepting "bribes", the division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur April 29 had ordered forensic tests of the tapes and the recording devices by the Hyderabad-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory.

However, the laboratory in its report said owing to infrastructural deficiency, it couldn't "analyse the exhibits in isolation", following which the court directed the forensic examination be done at the CFSL Chandigarh.

A three-member special committee headed by a high court registrar will submit the tapes along with an iPhone, a laptop and a pen drive used for conducting the sting, to the CFSL Chandigarh within 10 days.

The Chandigarh lab has been given four weeks time to conduct the tests and submit its report after which the court will hear the matter.

Conducted by the portal Narada News and released in March ahead of the assembly polls, the sting purportedly showed a host of high profile Trinamool leaders including state ministers and former union ministers taking wads of currency notes in return for allegedly doling out favours to a fictitious company.

Subsequent to the Trinamool wining the polls with a massive mandate, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a comprehensive probe inspecting all aspects of the sting issue including whether there was a "conspiracy behind it" and try to find out all those who hatched it.

In pursuance of the probe, the city police has registered a case against Narada chief Mathew Samuel and on Thursday summoned him for personal appearance.

--IANS

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