The Hindu : Front Page : Pleader quits after Tehelka expose

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Sunday, Oct 28, 2007
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Pleader quits after Tehelka expose

Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD: Arvind Pandya, who figured in Tehelka’s sting operation relating to post-Godhra riots, has resigned as the Gujarat government pleader before the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah judicial inquiry commission. He has filed a police complaint against Aaj Tak Ahmedababd bureau chief Dheemant Purohit and two “unknown persons” for “cheating.”

‘I was framed’

At a hurriedly called media conference, Mr Pandya claimed that he was “framed” by Mr Purohit, whom he “trusted as a friend,” and was made to read from a “script” containing the offensive remarks against Chief Minister Narendra Modi and members of the Nanavati-Shah commission.

Mr Purohit, however, denied any knowledge about the sting and described Mr. Pandya’s charges as “totally baseless.”

According to Mr Pandya, Mr Purohit had phoned him about seven months back to say that he was sending two persons with a script for him to “act” in a television “serial.” When he asked Mr. Purohit why he wanted him to “act” he was told that they wanted some “real life characters” in the serial.

Because he knew Mr Purohit well, he agreed to co-operate. They handed him a script on which they also took his signature. But at the end of some three-and-half-hours of “shooting,” they took back the script. When he asked Mr. Purohit for a copy, he was told that a compact disc of the serial would be sent to him later.

Mr. Pandya said the “shooting” was done using an open camera and he did not know that there was also a hidden camera which was used only for the “negative comments.”

The reason for involving him in the “conspiracy,” he believed, was to see him out of the Nanavati-Shah commission where his arguments on behalf of the State government were creating problems for some people.

He also released to the media a couple of pages of the “script” which he claimed he had retained with him. The comments were on the Nanavati-Shah commission.

The Nanavati-Shah commission is reported to have taken suo motu cognisance of the expose and asked Aaj Tak for a transcript of the “Operation Kalank” programme.

Channels off air

Most television news channels continued to remain off the air for the second day on Saturday in Ahmedabad following the district collector’s orders.

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