Defamation: Lt Gen to record statement against Gen Singh

New Delhi, Apr 8: Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh is likely to record his statement on Tuesday before a Delhi court in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against Army chief General VK Singh and four others.

Taking cognizance of his complaint, metropolitan magistrate Sudesh Kumar had during the last hearing asked Tejinder Singh to record pre-summoning evidence in support of his allegations levelled against the Army chief and four others.

Besides Army chief Gen VK Singh, he has also named Vice-chief of Army Staff SK Singh, Lt Gen BS hakur (DG MI), Major General SL 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.

During the hearing, Tejinder Singh had submitted that between Mar 1 and 4, large number of media reports had emerged with allegations of carrying out illegal off-the-air monitoring of call records of some senior officials.

He said that on Mar 5 the media cell of the Army headquarters issued a press release, levelling serious allegations against him by name.

Tejinder Singh said he was accused of managing all the media reports and the press release also said that he was questioned for the purchase of off-the-air monitoring system.

During the hearing, the court had inquired from Tejinder Singh and his counsel about the respective roles of the five accused in the case.

Tejinder Singh refuted allegations that he has offered a bribe for purchase of sub-standard vehicles.

He had said that no investigation or FIR has been lodged against him in the Mumbai-Adarsh society case in which he has been allotted a flat.

Tejinder Singh's counsel had said the press release issued by Army officials was illegal as they were not authorised to do so and the officials could not address the media directly.

The Army chief had claimed in media interviews that a lobbyist, who had "just" retired, offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing a file relating to purchase of a tranche of 600 "sub-standard" vehicles of a particular make and he had immediately informed defence minister AK Antony about it.

In a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha, Antony had said that the Army chief had told him about Tejinder Singh allegedly offering him the bribe, which he heard with "shock" and asked him to take action against the person.

But the Army chief did not want to pursue the matter for unknown reasons, the minister had said.

Tejinder Singh, in his complaint, had said the Army chief had levelled false allegations against him in the Mar 5 press release in order to get his name cleared from the phone tapping controversy.

PTI