The Raipur police have registered cases of criminal conspiracy, extortion and circulation of obscene material against a local private TV station which broadcast a video of a senior government officer with his wife in their bedroom as part of a “news report”, and accused the officer of making a “blue film”.

In his FIR, M L Haldkar, Chief Executive Officer of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMSGY), has named, besides two journalists from the channel, five road construction contractors with allegedly high connections and four staff of his department.

“Someone has conspired and prepared the CD. I am devastated. Do we not have our private life? Don’t a husband and wife have the right to stay together?” said Haldkar. He alleged there was a conspiracy to defame and blackmail him, and to extort money and favours. Haldkar has the reputation of being an honest and upright officer.

According to PMGSY insiders, Haldkar has recently taken strong steps to ensure quality control in road construction, insisting on accountability within the programme and taking action against errant officials and launching recovery proceedings from several contractors.

The Chhattisgarh Gazetted Officers’ Association (CGOA) is now taking up the matter with the Ministry of Information Broadcasting and the News Broadcasters’ Association, which has repeatedly been talking about “self-regulation”, and at other appropriate fora for regulating TV content. “Who prepared the CD, how and where it was filmed, and who circulated it are matters to be investigated by the police. The question we want to raise is whether the media has the right to make such intrusions, literally into the bedrooms of individuals, severely infringing their privacy,” CGOA president Subhash Mishra said.

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