The special investigation team probing Mangalam TV's telecast of an audio clip, of a lewd conversation allegedly of former minister AK Saseendran, raided its Thiruvananthapuram office on 3 April.
The raid, to collect electronic devices, comes a day after the investigating team recorded the statements of all the nine staff against whom an FIR was filed. In the raid, the police team gathered the details of the server that contains the news report on the conversation, The Times of India reported.
AK Saseendran resigned on 26 March, the day the TV channel aired the audio of his phone conversation.
Case Registered Under Section 67A
According to the report, none of the accused were present in the office during the raid. The case against the chairman of the channel, Sajan Varghese, CEO R Ajith Kumar, and seven others has been registered under Section 67A of the Information Technology Act and Section 120B (conspiracy) of the IPC.
Under section 67A of the IT Act, whoever publishes, or transmits, or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form any material which contains sexually explicit act or conduct shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to 10 lakh rupees.
The tape that was aired by the channel had evidently edited out certain portions of the conversation.
The conversation of the women at the other end was not aired at all. Meanwhile, the High Court on Monday said that it will consider the anticipatory bail pleas by the nine accused on 6 April.
( The story first appeared on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)
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