Remembering ‘Operation West End’ and the way Tehelka journal framed an Army Major General in false corruption case

It was March 2001. Tehelka, a information outfit based by Tarun Tejpal, determined to ‘uncover’ corruption inside the defence institutions and political circles.

They floated a pretend firm by the identify of ‘West End International’ and got down to promote hand-held thermal cameras/ imagers to the Government of India.

‘Journalists’ Aniruddha Bahal and Mathew Samuel posed as ‘arms dealers’ and tried to safe defence contracts as a part of their sting dubbed ‘Operation West End.’

Tehelka’s crew employed hidden cameras and audio recording units to seize conversations with high-ranking officers and politicians concerned in defence offers.

The undercover investigation spanned a number of months. Some distinguished politicians, bureaucrats, and military personnel had been caught on digital camera accepting bribes and discussing kickbacks in defence offers.

Tehelka was quickly within the dock over entrapment expenses, the lacking ‘authenticity’ in its proof, and lack of ethics as displayed via its bribing of officers to create sensationalism.

Use of prostitutes by Tehelka throughout Operation West End

As per stories, Tehelka journalists prolonged their sting operation, a lot past exposing corruption. Aniruddha Bahal and Mathew Samuel organized for name ladies and even filmed express encounters involving three defence officers.

The revelation has precipitated uproar and had additionally turned public sentiment in opposition to Tehelka, because it raised moral questions and challenged the ethical excessive floor that the information portal as soon as took. Tehelka was criticised by politicians comparable to Madhavrao Scindia and Chandra Shekhar.

BJP’s George Fernandes had infamously mentioned, “There cannot be any doubt that a crime against the country has been committed.” Another BJP MP Raghunath Jha emphasised, “If prostitutes were hawked, then certainly an offence is made out.”

Samata celebration demanded the arrest of the CEO of Tehelka. Party spokesperson Shambhu Shrivastava had mentioned, “This is not journalism. We always maintained that they were pretenders playing into hands of anti-national forces.”

“The use of prostitutes have raised grave issues and we want stringent action to be taken against these blackmailers who were masquerading as journalists,” he identified.

Tehelka framed an Indian Army officer

On Friday (July 21) this 12 months, the Delhi High Court directed ‘Tehelka’ journal, its founder Tarun Tejpal and two different ‘jounalists’ to pay ₹2 crores to a retired Indian Army workplace for defaming him throughout their notorious sting, dubbed the ‘Operation West End.’

The officer, recognized as Major General MS Ahluwalia, had filed the defamation case in 2002 after the journal accused him of taking bribes in defence offers.

He had named Tehelka and its journalists Tarun Tejpal, Aniruddha Bahal and Mathew Samuel, saying they revealed false allegations in opposition to him. Zee TV, its chairman Subhash Chandra and CEO Sandeep Goyal had been additionally named within the defamation case, because the sting operation was broadcast on Zee TV.

As a results of the false allegations in opposition to him, Major General MS Ahluwalia was court-martialled by the Indian Army with the advice to dismiss him from the service. Later, the punishment was downgraded and he was awarded Severe Displeasure (Recordable)’ by the military chief.

#Breaking Delhi HC orders journalist Tarun Tejpal, information platform Tehelka and two reporters to pay ₹2 crore in damages to Maj Gen MS Ahluwalia for defamation.

Order comes 22 years after Tehelka carried a sting operation saying that Ahluwalia was concerned in corruption within the… pic.twitter.com/6LRYFF1Xqs

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) July 21, 2023

A case was additionally lodged in opposition to him below Sections 9 and 10 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. At that point, he was the Director-General, Ordnance, within the Indian Army and oversaw the functioning of the central depot for ammunition and technical shops.

In the sting, Ahluwalia was seen providing a bribe of ₹50,000, however he refused to simply accept it. However, it was alleged that he had mentioned he would wish cash to introduce West End officers with high military brass.

Tehelka had additionally claimed that the military officer had demanded a bottle of Blue Label. MS Ahluwalia had denied the allegations made by Tehelka and mentioned that when Tehelka did the sting, he was not concerned in any publish associated to the choice or buy of imported weapons.

“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 mentioned.

It is notable that originally, Tehelka had claimed he had demanded ₹1 lakh, however later modified it to ₹50,000. In the military’s court docket of inquiry, Tehelka journalist Mathew Samuel admitted that Ahluwalia by no means demanded any cash or costly whiskey

Conclusion

In the late Nineties, the Indian defence sector was mired in controversy over the procurement of defence tools and arms offers. After sensing a possibility, Tehelka determined to embark on its formidable mission of investigative journalism.

For Tarun Tejpal’s close-knit ‘ecosystem’ of journalists and activists, the ‘Operation West End’ of Tehelka is maybe a watershed second in Indian investigative journalism. However, it didn’t seize the creativeness of the Indian public for a very long time.

“The alleged use of women, liquor, and money by the reporters to lure the unsuspecting in this whole episode have worked against Tehelka in the long term,” wrote Media Ethics Magazine in its case research.

While Tehelka got down to expose the darkish realities of corruption inside the Indian defence institution, it uncovered its personal lack of journalistic ethics and integrity in framing Major General MS Ahluwalia.