The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked all the joint commissioners of labour (JCLs) in the state to furnish the employees' details of Sakshi group. In an urgent letter sent on Friday, CBI SP H Venkatesh virtually put the JCLs on notice by giving them 24 hours to furnish the details.

He said the notices issued by his office should be treated as notice under section 91 of CrPC. Venkatesh said, "In connection with the investigation of the case, it is requested that the details of number of persons employed and type of employment of Jagati Publications Private Limited, Indira Television Pvt Limited and Janani Infrastructure Pvt Limited may be provided. This may be treated as notice under section 91 of CrPC."

He sought details of the employees, particularly with reference to the working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (conditions of service ) and Provisions Act of 1976. In view of the above urgency of the matter, all the JCLs have been directed to furnish the information, including documents like registration certificates, returns submitted by the company and inspection reports, if any.

Analysts said two days after freezing the bank accounts of Jagathi Publications (Sakshi daily) and Indira Television (Sakshi TV), the CBI seems to have decided to put the management of the media group on the mat by gathering the information about the actual number of people it has employed.

The CBI notices were significant in the wake of managements of both the media organizations claiming before the court that paralyzing the bank accounts would pose a threat to the future of over 20,000 people employed in the media group. CBI issuing notices to the JCLs is particularly noteworthy after chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy pooh-poohed the management's claims of proving employment to over 20,000.

The CM during his Mahbubnagar visit on Thursday said that Sakshi group employed hardly about one thousand and that's not a big figure.