NEW DELHI: Tehelka on Wednesday filmed an expose that seeks to explain why Zaheera Sheikh, the star witness in the Best Bakery carnage during the 2001 Gujarat riots, has continuously changed her testimony.

The sting operation, filmed at the Press Club in Delhi for the media and carried out by Tehelka reporter Ashish Khetan, claims that BJP MLA Madhu Srivastav had bribed Zaheera to recant her testimony.

Tehelka claimed that Rs 18 lakh was paid to Zaheera to change her statements in the Best Bakery trial, a case "that has become symbolic of the quest for justice in Gujarat".

Incidently, on Wednesday, Zaheera was asked by a special Mumbai court to make her deposition in a narrative form to facilitate the recording of evidence.

This is a departure from normal practice, done after Zaheera's repeated improper answers was making the recording of evidence a tedious procedure and taking too long.

Normally a witness replies to questions put by the prosecution during examination but in this case Zaheera has been asked to narrate her version instead of responding to queries.

Zaheera has changed her testimony on three occasions.