Zee journalists sent to two days' police custody

A Delhi court on Wednesday sent two Zee News journalists to two days' police custody. They were arrested on an extortion complaint filed by Congress MP Naveen Jindal's company, Jindal Power and Steel Ltd.

Metropolitan Magistrate Gomti Manocha sent the duo to two days' custody of Crime Branch of Delhi Police till Nov 30 and dismissed their bail plea.

Delhi Police had sought three days' custody of the journalists to interrogate them, and said that while reporting on the matter, the Zee News misreported facts and "there was an element of deception involved".

Sudhir Chaudhary, head of Zee News, and Samir Ahluwalia, head of Zee Business, were arrested Tuesday on charges of attempting to extort Rs 100 crore from Jindal Power and Steel Ltd in exchange for not filing news reports linking the firm to the irregular coal blocks allocation.

Police booked both the journalists under Sections 384 (extortion), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code. u00a0 u00a0 u00a0