Tejpal wants cases against Tehelka withdrawn

NEW DELHI, JUNE 15. Tehelka.com, the news portal that had made startling revelations about alleged corruption in defence deals which rocked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government, today urged the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to scrap the Justice Phukan Commission of Inquiry. The Commission was set up three years ago to probe the allegations levelled by Tehelka and to check the veracity of the Tehelka video-tapes. Addressing a press conference here, the Tehelka Editor-in-Chief, Tarun J. Tejpal, saidthat Tehelka and First Global, which had been victimised by the Establishment and had been forced to shut down their offices should be offered compensationby the Government for the financial, professional and emotional losses over the past three-and-a-half years. Mr. Tejpal said Justice Venkataswami had prepared a report on the 15 real defence deal transactions that had been thrown up by the Tehelka tapes. "The hearing on these deals was held on camera. Tehelka demands that this report be tabled and made public. The report is of public interest and it must not be swept under the carpet,'' he said. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Tejpal wanted the setting up of a body consisting of eminent citizenswith impeccable professional record to assess the damage inflicted on Tehelka and First Global. "The conduct and stand of the Government of India in the Tehelka tapes case has been shockingly immoral. Tehelka demands that the Government should now investigate and penalise all Government servants and bearers of public office who have committed perjury in the Commission of Inquiry and seriously compromised themselves by lying on sworn affidavits,'' he said. He demanded that cases against Tehelka filed by the CBI, SEBI, Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate be withdrawn and some kind of redressal be given immediately. "Since the change of guard at the Centre, there has been a lot of effort to reverse the dire decisions of the earlier Government with regard to the IIMs and the saffronisation of history textbooks. Surely, Tehelka and the values it stands for - blowing the whistle on wrongdoing and corruption - are as important for the health of democracy,'' he said.