Sleaze talk: Television channel admits minister was set-up in a honey-trap

Days after a Kerala minister had to resign following allegations of lewd telephonic conversation, Mangalam, the television channel which aired the sexually explicit conversation, has revealed that the minister was the target of a honey trap. The CEO of a television channel, Ajith Kumar, made the statement on air and said it managed to get the lewd conversation through a sting operation.
 

A K Saseendran, who resigned as State Transport Minister, welcomed the statement. With this uncertainty has erupted in the LDF over the vacant ministerial berth. The Front has called for an emergency meeting after a section of the party demanded to reinstate Saseendran in ministry.
 

Also read: Sleaze talk: Kerala Minister Saseendran quits, says resignation is not a confession

The television channel came with the admission at a time when the party was getting ready to appoint Thomas Chandy as the new minister. 
 

The channel had claimed for days that a housewife approached them with a complaint against the minister, but changed the stance after massive criticism from social media and other journalists. Admitting that it was a sting operation, the CEO said that the sting was conducted by a woman journalist of the organisation. He also apologised for any inconvenience caused to other female journalists. 
 

The incident triggered widespread protests and Kerala journalists has questioned the veracity of the story.
 

Also read: Complaints pour in as police mull case against 'honey-trap journalism'
 

Interestingly, the television channel came with the apology after the state government formed a six member police team to probe into the incident. DGP Loknath Behra formed a team consisting of HiTech Cell DySP Bijumon and IG Dinendra Kashyap, Kottayam SP N Ramachandran, Crime Branch DySP Shanavas, Palakkad SP Pratheesh and SI Sudhakumari. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) took case and registered FIR against nine persons, including channel CEO. 
 

Read more: Sex talk scandal: Judicial commission to probe conspiracy angle
 

The investigation team had found that the sting operation was hatched six months ago. There are reports that the channel had formed a five member team for the task and had made a list of VIP's to be targeted.  
 

Also read: Sex and sleaze in politics: Five scandals that forced Kerala ministers' exit
 

The controversial telephone convesation was made  when the minister was in Goa
 

• sleaze talk
• honey trap
• Mangalam
• sting operation
• A K Saseendran