High Court quashes charges against journos in ?cash-for-query?

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered quashing of all charges against two journalists who had carried out the ?cash-for-query? sting operation which had exposed how many Parliamentarians accept money for tabling questions.

Justice SN Dhingra, quashing a trail court order, said it was necessary to encourage people to expose any wrong doings in the society.

?Charging the petitioners under Prevention of Corruption Act would amount to discouraging the people of this country from performing their duties enjoined upon them by the Constitution as well as the Criminal Procedure Code,” the court said.

Journalists Anirudh Bahal and Suhasini Raj had challenged a summoning order issued by a Special Judge after taking cognisance of the charge-sheet filed against them along with the tainted MPs by Delhi Police.

Welcoming the High Court judgement, Bahal said it was major boost to investigative journalism.

The duo had carried out the sting operation for the internet portal, Cobra Post, which exposed 11 MPs of accepting money for raising questions in the Parliament.

The inquiry committee of both Houses of Parliament had then recommended expulsion of the 11 MPs — 10 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha.

The Parliamentary committee had also recommended a probe into the role of the middlemen in the sting operation and the Delhi Police, acting on the recommendation, had filed an FIR against Bahal, Raj and the TV channel Aaj Tak, which aired the sting operation.