Karnataka honey trap row: PIL in SC for CBI probe into allegations

New Delhi [India], March 24 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a PIL seeking an independent probe by the CBI or SIT into the alleged honeytrapping of legislators, public servants, and judges in Karnataka.
The matter was mentioned by the advocate of the petitioner for early listing of the case before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, which agreed to list it for hearing today or tomorrow.
The plea filed by a Jharkhand resident, Binay Kumar Singh, sought an independent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police officers who are not subject to the control or influence of the State of Karnataka.
The petition, filed through advocate Barun Sinha, urged the apex court to monitor the investigation either by the apex court or by a monitoring committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
"The monitoring committee should also inquire into the role played by all authorities/persons who directly or indirectly benefitted from the incident. To direct prosecution of the person found guilty upon investigation", the plea stated.
Last week, cooperation minister KN Rajanna alleged that 48 people have fallen victim to "honey traps" in the state, and their obscene videos have been circulated. The Congress MLA claimed that the list was across party lines, including state and national leaders.
"There were very serious and troubling allegations made on the floor of the Karnataka state legislature that a person aspiring to be the chief minister of the state has been successful in honeytrapping several persons, amongst whom are judges. The allegations have been made by a sitting minister who has claimed himself to be a victim, thereby lending credibility to the serious allegations," the petition read.
"Not only that, another minister of the government has not only echoed the allegations made by the first minister, rather alleged that the scale and proportion of the scandal are at least ten times what is currently visible," it added.
The plea further said that judges getting compromised by means like honey trapping poses a 'serious threat' to judicial independence and gravely undermines public confidence in the institution. (ANI)