The Delhi High Court today ordered the Tehelka Magazine, Tarun Tejpal and two others to pay ₹2 crore to retired Indian Army official Major General MS Ahluwalia in a defamation case. The officer had filed the defamation case in 2002 after the magazine accused him of taking bribes in defence deals in its sting operation named Operation West End.
He had named Tehelka and its journalists Tarun Tejpal, Aniruddha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, saying they published false allegations against him. Zee TV, its chairman Subhash Chandra and CEO Sandeep Goyal were also named in the defamation case, as the sting operation was broadcast on Zee TV.
Major General (retd) M S Ahluwalia was Director-General, Ordnance, in the Indian Army at that time. After the publication of the sting operation by the propaganda portal, CBI had filed a case against him under Section 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and under Section 9 and 10 of PCA.
He was also court-martialled by the Indian Army with the recommendation to dismiss him from the service. However, the punishment was later downgraded and he was awarded Severe Displeasure (Recordable)’ by the army chief.
In the sting operation published in 2001, undercover Tehelka reporters posed as representatives of West End International, a London-based fictitious firm, and met several bureaucrats offering them bribes in exchange of lucrative defence deals. In the sting, Ahluwalia was seen offering a bribe of ₹50,000, but he had refused to accept it. However, it was alleged that he had said he will need money to introduce West End officials with top army brass.
Tehelka had also claimed that the army officer had demanded a bottle of Blue Label. MS Ahluwalia had denied the allegations made by Tehelka, and said that when Tehelka did the sting, he was not involved in any post related to selection or purchase of imported weapons.
He had said that he was serving as Additional Director-General, Ordnance Service (technical stores) since April 1999, overseeing the functioning of the central depot for technical stores and ammunition, and procurement of indigenous equipment primarily from ordnance factories and public sector undertakings.
“I am not involved in process of cases of import of equipment which is handled by Additional Director General, Weapons and Equipment (ADGWE) and has never held any post which is involved in selection and import of new equipment,” he had said.
It is notable that initially Tehelka had claimed he had demanded ₹1 lakh, but later changed it to ₹50,000. In the army’s court of inquiry, Tehelka journalist Mathew Samuel admitted that Ahluwalia never demanded any money or expensive whiskey.