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Tejpal denies any 'dishonest motive'
behind defence expose

Tehelka.com on Friday refuted charges that the portal was sensationalising issues of sex and fabricating stories around prominent people to defame them.

When cross-examined by former Bharatiya Janata Party chief Bangaru Laxman's counsel, Sunil Kumar, Tehelka CEO Tarun Tejpal admitted to items pertaining to sex being shown on the site, saying "a journalistic platform should reflect all aspects of our lives, including sex."

Articles pertaining to sex were taken from research papers of a publishing house and Tehelka had sought the permission to reproduce them on the site, said Tejpal, who was questioned for the second consecutive day before the Venkataswami Commission.

Ruling out any "dishonest motives" behind the expose on the corruption in defence deals, he said: "We have handed over every bit of material we had on the issue to all the concerned authorities, including the Army Court of Inquiry."

In fact, he added, handing over of all the material has proven to be damaging to the news portal.

He said to expose what is concealed, especially by those who are holding public offices, was investigative journalism and that a reporter was free to pursue any means.

Denying his personal involvement in the expose, Tejpal said his knowledge of the sting operation was based on the information provided to him by his reporters.

"Like Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, I also trust my reporters fully," Tejpal said.

On the allegation that Tehelka picks up eminent people like Kapil Dev and fabricates stories about them to defame them, Tejpal said the allegations against the former Indian Cricket captain were not made by his portal. Rather they were the comments made by one of Kapil Dev's colleagues, he said.

PTI

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