Justice S N Phukan, who headed the now disbanded Tehelka Commission, on Thursday joined issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his statement that the commission "has not been able to produce a report in three years".
He also said the probe was at a very advanced stage and would have completed its job within six months had the new government's counsel cooperated.
"I have been heading the commission for the last one-and-half years and not three years. In February this year, I had submitted to the Prime Minister the commission's report on the probe into 15 defence deals that were referred to it. How can anyone say that the commission has not given any report," he said.
The Prime Minister, who made the statement at a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, appeared not to have been briefed properly by officials, he said.
Justice Phukan also accused the UPA government's counsel of not cooperating with the commission and said that the new counsels appointed by the Centre had sought repeated adjournments. "We were at a very advanced stage in the inquiry proceedings. Unfortunately, the counsel appointed by the new government, who sought adjournments one after another for three months," the retired Supreme Court judge said.