The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to a private news channel and its reporter for carrying out a sting operation.

Zee News and its reporter Vijay Shekhar have been issued notices for carrying out a sting operation in the year 2004 purpotedly showing how a non-bailable warrant could be procured against any person by paying a hefty amount in the court.

A three-bench-judge bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said, "We are strongly of the view that you should be prosecuted. We issue notice to you to explain why you should not be prosecuted."

In the sting operation, the channel while seeking to "expose" alleged corruption in the lower judiciary in Gujarat obtained warrants against President A P J Abdul Kalam and the then chief justice of India V N Khare, Justice B P Singh and supreme court lawyer R K Jain from a lower court in Ahmedabad after paying bribe.