Delhi HC Orders Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal To Pay Rs 2 Crore In Damages For Defaming Indian Army Officer

The Delhi High Court on Friday (21 July) ordered the Tehelka Magazine, Tarun Tejpal and two others to pay Rs 2 crore in damages to retired Indian Army official Major General MS Ahluwalia in a defamation case, reports Bar and Bench.

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.

In his suit, he had named Tehelka and its journalists Tarun Tejpal, Aniruddha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, saying they published false allegations against him.

Besides, Zee TV, its chairman Subhash Chandra and CEO Sandeep Goyal were also named in the defamation case, as the sting operation was broadcast on the channel.

Major General Ahluwalia was serving as additional director-general ordnance service (technical stores) in Indian Army at that time.

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.

Tehelka alleged that Ahluwalia was offered Rs 50,000 as a bribe but he refused to accept it at that time. 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.

M S 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.

In his plaint, Ahluwalia also referred to the Army's court of inquiry where Tehelka journalist Mathew Samuel, contrary to what was alleged in the portal's tapes, had admitted that Ahluwalia had refused his bribe offer of Rs 50,000.

The journalist accepted that the officer never demanded Rs 100,000 or whiskey, something claimed in the tapes.