Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 22: In a defamation case, the Delhi High Court has ordered journalists Tarun Tejpal, Anirudh Behl, Mathew Samual and M/S Tehelka.Com to pay Major General MS Ahluwalia, a retired Indian Army officer, Rs 2 crore as damages.
Ahluwalia was allegedly involved in corruption in the defence transactions, according to a 2001 sting operation by Tehelka.
The court panel presided over by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna recognised that the plaintiff’s reputation had been damaged since he had not only seen his valuation in the eyes of the public decline, but also because his character had been tarnished by severe accusations of corruption, which no subsequent reputation could make right or mend.
The plaintiff has already lived with ill fame for more than 23 years, the court also remarked, noting that considerable time has gone. An apology at this point is not only insufficient, but also useless given the severity of the slander.
Tarun Tejpal, the owner of the portal Tehelka.Com, was in charge of overseeing the publication of news items and articles on Tehelka.Com’s website, according to the lawsuit.
a media blitz promoting a narrative about purported corruption in defence negotiations involving the import of new defence equipment was initiated on March 13, 2001.
According to the lawsuit, the article was written and taped by two reporters who were purportedly working undercover while posing as representatives of a fictitious London-based defence equipment company eager to introduce new defence equipments to the Indian Army.
Ahluwalia sought Rs. 10 lakh in addition to a bottle of Blue Label whisky as a bribe, according to the story. It further claimed that the officer had taken a token bribe of Rs. 50,000. Through legal action, the plaintiff/Major General alleged that this was done on purpose without first learning the full truth.
To the defendant’s knowledge, the accusations were untrue and were made with the specific goal of tarnishing the plaintiff’s character and image in the public.
In reality, the supposed tape of the conversation between the reporter and the plaintiff has been altered, doctored, and edited to manipulate the audio. Selected passages have been removed, and editorial comments that lack factual support have been added.
The telecasted video clip was seriously noted by the Indian Army, who thereafter requested a Court of Inquiry regarding this matter. The lawsuit claimed that the plaintiff’s military reputation and honour had been damaged and cast in doubt after he was called to testify in the Court of Inquiry.
