Order on summoning ex-Army chief V K Singh on Friday

A Delhi court is likely to give its verdict on Friday on summoning former Army Chief General V K Singh and four others in a criminal defamation case filed by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh.

The court had reserved its order for Friday after going through the file related to the issuance of the March 5 press release which had accused Tejinder Singh of offering a bribe of Rs 14 crore to the erstwhile army chief.

The file was submitted to the court by Defence Ministry's Under Secretary R Sunder. The court had also recorded yesterday his statement during an in-camera proceeding in which he said some of the documents placed were "privileged."

Metropolitan Magistrate Jay hareja's order on summoning the former army chief and four others would be on a complaint by Tejinder Singh in which he had said he was defamed by the army through its press release issued on March 5.

The court had earlier said it would pass an order only after going through the file relating to the publication of the army's March 5 press release in which Tejinder Singh was accused of offering a bribe to the former army chief.

The court had earlier said it was "prima facie" satisfied that the March 5 press release was defamatory" as "ex-facie" serious allegation of "bribery" has been made against Tejinder Singh, who had a long and distinguished career in the army.

Besides V K Singh, Tejinder Singh has also named Vice Chief of Army Staff S K Singh, Lt Gen B S Thakur (DG MI), Major General S L Narshiman (Additional Director General of Public Information) and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney, accusing them of misusing their official positions, power and authority to level false charges against him.

Tejinder Singh, a former director general of Defence Intelligence Agency, had filed the complaint rejecting the allegations that he had offered the bribe for clearing a deal for 600 "sub-standard" vehicles.