New Delhi:
A Delhi court today reserved its order on a plea by Zee News Limited for direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against Congress MP Naveen Jindal for allegedly trying to "influence" the hearing before News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) in connection with the alleged extortion bid case. The matter will be taken up on January 16 next.
Special CBI Judge Dharmesh Sharma reserved the order after hearing arguments of advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who appeared for Zee News.
"Arguments have been heard. Put up for order on January 16," the court said.
During the hearing on the plea against Jindal, his firm Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) and its various officials, Mr Aggarwal alleged that the Congress MP had called the NBSA Chairman JS Verma, who is a retired Chief Justice of India, and had tried to influence him.
He said his client is seeking direction to the CBI to lodge an FIR in this matter as the agency is probing the recent coal allocation case.
In its application, Zee News Limited had claimed that during the hearing, the NBSA chairman had himself "revealed that Naveen Jindal, Member of Parliament, had telephoned him prior to the hearing to influence/pressurise him for an order favourable to accused number one (Jindal) and his company."
The TV channel had alleged that the MP had abused his position as a public servant by "telephonically" contacting the NBSA chairman to "influence" him in connection with the hearing of a complaint filed by the firm against the news channel and its officials.
According to the application, Mr Jindal, along with others, had allegedly committed offences under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, including section 120-B (criminal conspiracy).