HC directs cops to file status report in extortion case

The Delhi High Court today directed the city police to submit a status report before filing of charge sheet in a lower court against Zee Group Chairman Subhash Chandra and two editors in the case of their alleged extortion bid from MP Naveen Jindal's firm.
"Let a status report be filed within four weeks before filing of the charge sheet in the lower court," Justice Sunil Gaur said, and fixed the petition of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary for hearing on March 27.
Chaudhary has moved the high court against the order of a Sessions Judge in the case.
Earlier, the sessions court had pulled up a magisterial court for not taking cognizance of the chargesheet and had modified the order saying, "...The state may conduct or embark on further investigation through a police officer not below rank of an ACP and file final police report as expeditiously as possible and observations made by CMM on the applicability or otherwise on ingredients of the penal provisions shall have no effect....".

The police had filed a revision plea before the sessions court against the CMM's order in which it had ordered further probe by saying there were "glaring and material lacunae" in the case with respect to the probe.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police had last year filed a charge sheet against Chandra, Zee editors Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia under various provisions of the IPC, including sections 384/511 (attempt to extortion), 420/511 (attempt to cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (destruction of evidence).
Chaudhary and Ahluwalia were earlier arrested in the case but they are now on bail in the case filed by Congress MP Naveen Jindal's firm.