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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Tarun Tejpal, editor-in-chief of tehelka.com on Friday said he might consider deleting the name of Major General Manjit Singh Ahluwalia from the text of the Operation West End, if the allegations of corruption against him were found to be incorrect.
Tejpal was deposing before the Justice Venkataswami Commission.
General Ahluwalia's name appears along with several other senior army officers, who had allegedly demanded money for helping the two tehelka reporters, posing as defence dealers of a London based company, in clinching a major defence deal. He has been named in the text of the four and half hour long video film shown by tehelka in March 2001 and also in the full text put out by the portal.
Earlier, the Commission had rejected General Ahluwalia's plea that he should be allowed to cross-examine witnesses on Friday, when his advocate would be present during the proceedings.
Justice Venkataswami, however, allowed General Ahluwalia to cross-examine Tejpal.
Armed with the testimony given by Mathew Samuel, one of the two reporters of tehelka.com posing a defence agents, General Ahluwalia asked Tejpal if was aware of the defamation suit that the former had filed against tehelka.com, to which Tejpal said he was aware of the suit.
He also questioned Tejpal whether he or his two reporters knew about the nature of his assignment or whether he was in any manner linked with the procurement of the defence purchases, to which Tejpal replied in negative.
When General Ahluwalia asked Tejpal if he would delete his name from the text of Operation West End if proved that he did not accept any money, Tejpal said he might consider it, adding: "I would have to check with my reporters. I have no personal knowledge. Whatever evidence is there is on the tapes."
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