Journalists in trouble after PIL mentions Essar links

A PIL in Supreme Court claiming a nexus between Essar and opinion makers has put some senior journalists in a spot with leaked emails suggesting that they took favours from the corporate entity.

Those named in the emails, which were part of the PIL, included Sandeep Bamzai, Anupama Airy, Meetu Jain and Mayur Shekhar Jha.

Bamzai, Airy and Jain were said to have been provided taxis by Essar for private use, while Jha was given a guest ouse for hosting a party.

Following this, Bamzai resigned as editor of Mail Today and Airy as energy editor of Hindustan Times. Jain of Times Now was taken off duty pending her reply to an explanation sought by the channel.
Airy also shot off a letter accusing some of her colleagues of wrongdoing.

According to the emails, which formed part of the annexure of the PIL, Bamzai requested Essar to provide him a car between November 20 and 24, 2012. Another email later noted that Bamzai “would like to continue with the car till December 1, 2012”.

According to the emails, Jha was offered the guest house and Essar officials were asked to arrange lunch and liquor. Jain was given a taxi for one day in October 2012.

A series of emails were exchanged between Essar officials after the then SAIL chairman pointed fingers at the corporate for “planting” stories.
“Any way, we need to be more careful in future in planting stories,” one of the emails said.