Fake TV sting: Teacher sues TV Channel

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Uma Khurana, a schoolteacher who was acquitted of the charge of forcing her students into prostitution and pornography, Monday filed a criminal suit against the owners of the TV channel, Live India, and its reporter for defaming her with their fake sting operation.

"We filed a criminal suit against the Adhikari brothers (owners of the Live India channel), the channel's chief executive officer Sudhir Chaudhary and Prakash Singh, the reporter who carried out the fake sting expose," said Khurana's counsel Vivek Sharma.

"The suit was also filed in the Tis Hazari court against Rashmi, a freelance journalist, and Virender Arora, a businessman, for their collusion with Prakash in deliberately defaming Khurana and her family," Sharma told IANS, adding that the date of hearing was not fixed by the court yet.

Earlier in the day, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Alok Aggarwal granted bail to Prakash and Virender. The duo was asked to submit their passports in the court.

The TV channel in its 'exposé' two months ago had purportedly shown Khurana, a 41-year-old mathematics teacher at the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya on the Asaf Ali Road in central Delhi, as forcing her girl students into prostitution and pornography.

Following the telecast, an angry mob attacked the school, torched several vehicles parked on the road, and manhandled the teacher. She was dismissed from service by the Delhi government Sep 1 and arrested the next day.

However, it was discovered a week later that the operation was a hoax and the "victim" shown in the sting was, in fact, not a student but an aspiring journalist - Rashmi.

Khurana was granted bail on Sep 11. Last week the court absolved her of all charges.

Prakash was arrested and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to cheating and criminal conspiracy.