New Delhi: A sting operation conducted by a television journalist today (Jan 28, 2004) hit the portals of the Supreme Court when it was revealed that a Metropolitan Magistrate in Ahmedabad had allegedly issued bailable warrants against the President, Chief Justice of India, a sitting Judge of the apex court and a former President of its Bar Association without any case against them.

The journalist, who conducted a sting operation to expose corruption in the lower judiciary in Gujarat, claimed to have obtained warrants against President A P J Abdul Kalam, Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice B P Singh and former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association R K Jain after having bribed the Magistrate through local lawyers.

The Supreme Court today ordered the Gujarat High Court Registrar General to immediately seize and seal the file from the Magistrate of Court No 10, Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad after Senior Counsel Harish Salve mentioned a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) before a Bench headed by Chief Justice V N Khare on behalf of the journalist.

Taking cognisance of the PIL, a Bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia directed the Gujarat High Court Registrar General to send the file to the Supreme Court at the earliest and ordered the matter to be listed for hearing tomorrow (Jan 29).

The Bench asked the Supreme Court Registrar General to inform the Gujarat High Court Registrar General about this order immediately by phone and fax.

"What is happening in Gujarat? By giving Rs 40,000 you can get a judicial order? the Chief Justice wondered.

"If this is the state of affairs, only God knows what will happen to the country," a stunned Chief Justice Khare observed.