From match fixing to army deal, Tehelka team has set up an epitome of courageous journalism in the history of Indian journalism. An arms deal scandal is one of its biggest achievement in its credit.
The controversary
Tehelka.com came out on March 12, 2001 with some damning disclosure of how defense deals are struck. It exposed widespread corruption in defense purchases engineered by army officers and senior politicians of the country.
At largely attended media conference in the capital, editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal, took the lid off operation West End, investigated by Anirudha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, which exposed the nexus between politician, senior defense personnel and fixers, who came together every time defense deal were in offering.
A film, shot by hidden camera was also screened, which showed how deals were struck. In the film, the then BJP president Bangaru Laxman was shown accepting Rs 100,000 towards the Happy New Year party fund. The scam involved BJP president Bangaru Laxman, the then Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley, and a number of army officials accused of receiving bribes in a fictious arms deal.
The technology used
The scam, which exposed widespread corruption in defense purchases took Tehelka reporter an arduous job of 8 months to investigate and shot the film, in which hidden camera was used. Tehelka reporters had bribed army officials and politicians while posing as army dealer representing a fictious foreign firm that wanted to sell night vision goggles to the Indian Army. Army suppliers were even supplied prostitutes, as Anirudha Bahal said, “When demands (of call girls) were so forceful we were foxed.”
The impact
BJP president, Bangaru Laxman resigned soon after meeting the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Stung by expose, BJP accused senior Congress leader Arjun Singh of formenting trouble for BJP Govt., as Tarun Tejpal’s father is closely associated with Arjun Singh, and Samuel is close associate of Tom Vadakkam, in charge of Congress media cell.
Contradictly, Tarun Tejpal blames PMO, especially Brajesh Mishra of carrying out a witch-hunt and slender campaign against his media house. Soon Venkataswami commission is set to probe and give the report of scam. Union home ministry provided Z security to Tarun Tejpal after intelligence agency reported serious threats to his life, while Tejpal said that he never demanded any security, nor did he get any threats. On January 04, 2003, justice S N Pukhan was appointed to probe the scam, again.
Status as of now
On February 04, 2004, justice Pukhan probe cleared defense minister George Fernandes of any ‘impropriety’ in the defense deal examined by it. On May 18, 2004, army officer Major General PSK Chaudhry, Brigadier Iqwal Singh, Col. Anil Sehgal, on which the army had already launched general court martial proceedings, were found culpable of omission and commission in Tehelka case.
Currently, last year on April 29, in a twist to controversary surrounding the ‘clean chit’ to the then defense minister George Fernandese, Outlook claimed that it has details that justice Pukhan, his wife and some lawyers of Tehelka case were provided a special chartered VVIP aircraft of the IAF to travel to Shirdi, Pune, Ahmednagar and Mumbai from Delhi in December 2003. It was before 6 weeks, justice Pukhan gave clean-chit to George Fernandes.
The controversary
Tehelka.com came out on March 12, 2001 with some damning disclosure of how defense deals are struck. It exposed widespread corruption in defense purchases engineered by army officers and senior politicians of the country.
At largely attended media conference in the capital, editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal, took the lid off operation West End, investigated by Anirudha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, which exposed the nexus between politician, senior defense personnel and fixers, who came together every time defense deal were in offering.
A film, shot by hidden camera was also screened, which showed how deals were struck. In the film, the then BJP president Bangaru Laxman was shown accepting Rs 100,000 towards the Happy New Year party fund. The scam involved BJP president Bangaru Laxman, the then Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley, and a number of army officials accused of receiving bribes in a fictious arms deal.
The technology used
The scam, which exposed widespread corruption in defense purchases took Tehelka reporter an arduous job of 8 months to investigate and shot the film, in which hidden camera was used. Tehelka reporters had bribed army officials and politicians while posing as army dealer representing a fictious foreign firm that wanted to sell night vision goggles to the Indian Army. Army suppliers were even supplied prostitutes, as Anirudha Bahal said, “When demands (of call girls) were so forceful we were foxed.”
The impact
BJP president, Bangaru Laxman resigned soon after meeting the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Stung by expose, BJP accused senior Congress leader Arjun Singh of formenting trouble for BJP Govt., as Tarun Tejpal’s father is closely associated with Arjun Singh, and Samuel is close associate of Tom Vadakkam, in charge of Congress media cell.
Contradictly, Tarun Tejpal blames PMO, especially Brajesh Mishra of carrying out a witch-hunt and slender campaign against his media house. Soon Venkataswami commission is set to probe and give the report of scam. Union home ministry provided Z security to Tarun Tejpal after intelligence agency reported serious threats to his life, while Tejpal said that he never demanded any security, nor did he get any threats. On January 04, 2003, justice S N Pukhan was appointed to probe the scam, again.
Status as of now
On February 04, 2004, justice Pukhan probe cleared defense minister George Fernandes of any ‘impropriety’ in the defense deal examined by it. On May 18, 2004, army officer Major General PSK Chaudhry, Brigadier Iqwal Singh, Col. Anil Sehgal, on which the army had already launched general court martial proceedings, were found culpable of omission and commission in Tehelka case.
Currently, last year on April 29, in a twist to controversary surrounding the ‘clean chit’ to the then defense minister George Fernandese, Outlook claimed that it has details that justice Pukhan, his wife and some lawyers of Tehelka case were provided a special chartered VVIP aircraft of the IAF to travel to Shirdi, Pune, Ahmednagar and Mumbai from Delhi in December 2003. It was before 6 weeks, justice Pukhan gave clean-chit to George Fernandes.
