KOCHI: Mangalam channel owner Sajan Varghese approached the Kerala High Court on Thursday challenging the constitutional validity of the judicial commission appointed to inquire into the sleaze audio tape case.
Varghese said the government lacked authority over matters coming under List-I (Seventh Schedule of Article 246 of the Constitution) which included broadcasting and telecasting.“The terms of reference of the judicial commission do not reveal matters of public importance as mandated under Section 34 of the Commission of Inquiry Act of 1952. The government order to appoint the commission is an abuse of power and wasteful expenditure of public money for shielding a minister’s mistakes,” he said, seeking a directive to quash the government’s order on appointing a judicial commission.
The channel had aired the audio clips of then minister A K Saseendran allegedly engaged in lewd phone conversation with a woman. Saseendran had quit the Cabinet after the clip aired and the government had later appointed a judge to head a judicial commission for inquiring into the incident.