INDIA
Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar heard the arguments advanced by Tejinder Singh and his counsel and posted the case for recording of pre-summoning evidence on April 10.
A Delhi court on Thursday took cognisance of a criminal defamation case filed against Army Chief General VK Singh and four other top Army officials by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh, accusing them of misusing their official positions for defaming him.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar heard the arguments advanced by Tejinder Singh and his counsel and posted the case for recording of pre-summoning evidence on April 10.
"I have heard the arguments. I take cognisance. Put up for pre-summoning evidence on April 10," the court said, adding it would examine Tejinder Singh and other witnesses on oath in support of the complaint against the Army Chief and others.
Besides Gen VK Singh, Tejinder Singh has named Vice-Chief of Army Staff SK Singh, Lt Gen BS Thakur (DG MI), Major General SL Narshiman (Additional Director General of Public Information) and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney as accused in the case for allegedly misusing their official positions, power and authority to level false charges against him.
During the hearing, the magistrate inquired from Tejinder Singh and his counsel about the respective roles of the five accused in the case.
"Why five of them are made accused? What are their roles?," the magistrate asked.
Tejinder Singh, who himself presented his case before the court along with his lawyers, said that false allegations were levelled against him by Gen VK Singh and other accused officers to defame him.
He said between March 1 and March 4, a large number of media reports had emerged with allegations of carrying out illegal off-the-air monitoring of call records of some senior officials and on March 5, media cell of the Army Head Quarters issued a press release levelling serious allegations against him by name.
Tejinder Singh said it was alleged against him that he had managed all media reports and was also questioned for his alleged role in the purchase of off-the-air monitoring system.
He said it was also alleged that he had purchased a flat in Mumbai's Adarsh Society and had also offered bribe to the Army Chief for swinging a sub-standard defence deal in favour of a private firm.
"All allegations levelled against me are baseless. I have never been questioned for purchase of off-the-air monitoring system. I am a member in Adarsh Society but there are other 102 allottees and no investigation or FIR has been registered against me. I am only a simple investor," he said, adding the allegation that he had offered bribe was also "vague."
Advocates Anil Aggarwal and S M Pandey, appearing for Tejinder Singh, said even in the case of the alleged bugging of Raksha Mantri's office, nothing has been found but various defamatory things have been said about their client.
Regarding the alleged offering of bribe, the counsel argued that earlier it was said that the Army chief was offered R50 crore bribe but later Gen VK Singh changed it to Rs14 crore.
Tejinder Singh's counsel said the press release issued by the Army officials were illegal as they were not authorised to do so and the officials could not address the media directly.
"The tone and tenor of the said press release was not official and it was entirely defamatory. The government is not supposed to defame a person in this way and that too without even questioning him in this regard," they said, adding Gen V K Singh and other accused were acting in a "malafide manner."
On this, the public prosecutor, who was present in the court room, opposed the arguments advanced by Tejinder Singh's counsel saying if they would accuse the government, then the proceedings should be conducted "in-camera" as it was a sensitive matter and all the scribes were present there.
Tejinder Singh's counsel, however, said the prosecutor has no locus to intervene in the proceedings as it was a complaint case.
The counsel said that they had received the same replies to the legal notices sent to Gen VK Singh and other accused.
The magistrate, after hearing the arguments advanced by Tejinder Singh and his counsel, took cognisance of the complaint.
The Army Chief had earlier claimed 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 the Army chief had told him about Tejinder Singh alleged offer of bribe to him, 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, said the Army Chief had levelled false allegation against him in a press release issued on March 5 in order to get his name cleared from the phone tapping controversy.
Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Know date, timings, history, and significance
Liam Payne, One Direction’s former member, passes way at 31 after falling from balcony
Bihar man gets bitten by snake, goes to hospital with reptile, watch viral video
Ajmer-Jaipur-Delhi travel time to reduce soon, NHAI unveils Rs 200 crore project; details inside
Nayab Saini to take oath as Haryana CM today; PM Modi to attend event
Valmiki Jayanti 2024: Are banks closed or open today? Check here
Bigg Boss 18: Vivian Dsena fights with Rajat Dalal over food, says 'koi nahi rok paaega mujhe'
DNA TV Show: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar delivers strong message to Pakistan at SCO Summit
Meet Yasmin Joseph discovered by Raj Kapoor, very bold scenes made her famous, her screen name is…
Uttarakhand: CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded in Pithoragarh village, rescue operation continues
Bomb hoax threats to airlines: Police detain class 11 student from Chhattisgarh
PAK vs ENG: Ben Duckett scripts history, surpasses Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag to become....
Bengaluru rains: 'Manyata Tech waterfalls,' internet mocks city’s infra amid heavy rainfall
'If you delay more then...': Mithali Raj wants India to move on from Harmanpreet Kaur as captain
Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers announces Bollywood star Sharvari as their brand ambassador
Exploring the Future of 316LVM Stainless Steel in India’s Emerging Tech Sectors
How Construction Management Software Can Improve Project Scheduling
'Apne pariwar walon ki arthi uthaoge': Salman Khan threatens Lawrence Bishnoi in viral video?
Who is Surender Choudhary, and why J-K CM Omar Abdullah picked him as his Deputy?
This company secures Rs 8668700000 contract to build India’s first bullet train, it is owned by…
MS Dhoni keeps CSK on edge as retention deadline looms, yet to confirm participation in IPL 2025
Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti back documentary film Turtle Walker set to premiere at Doc NYC
Viral video: Sibling dancing to Shah Rukh Khan’s 'Chaleya' at wedding is unmissable, watch
Viral video: Giant python wraps itself around drunk man, netizens say ‘find out the liquor brand'
Mukesh Ambani afraid of Elon Musk? Tesla CEO responds to a meme on X, says, "I will…"
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: R Ashwin sums up 'better batsman' debate with stunning remark
This woman claims to be a 'real-life vampire', feeds on energy of...
Mukesh Ambani loses over Rs 160000000000 in 24 hours, Gautam Adani's net worth boosts by…
IND vs NZ: Day 1 of first Test between India and New Zealand called off due to rain in Bengaluru
Ashish Bansal's Vision: Transforming Business Operations with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Gautam Adani acquires two more companies, pays Rs 380000000 for...
Good news for online shoppers! Blinkit to introduce this feature to ease up returns
7th Pay Commission: Good news for central government employees, Cabinet approves 3% hike on...
Watch: Priyanka Chopra makes her Bollywood dreams come true, video from Switzerland goes viral
Akasa Air flight to Bengaluru gets bomb threat, returns to Delhi
Fake cop jumps into auto, demands Rs 50,000 from Mumbai woman for…, watch viral video
Delhi CEO shares screenshot of jobseeker’s CV with mistakes all over, blames…, see viral pic
IND vs NZ Test: Virat Kohli's cool walk in rains at Bengaluru's Chinwaswamy Stadium steals spotlight
Video of drunk man wrapped in giant python's deadly grip in Andhra Pradesh goes viral, watch here
Maharashtra NEET PG counselling 2024: Round 1 registration to close today, check important details
Omar Abdullah takes oath as Jammu and Kashmir CM as UT gets elected government after 10 years
German Ambassador ties 'nimbu-mirchi' to his new EV, smashes coconut, WATCH viral video
People live with their deceased loved ones on THIS island, the reason will shock you!
BIZARRE: Tea seller spends Rs 60,000 on party after buying 2-wheeler on loan
Ram Gopal Verma finds Lawrence Bishnoi more good-looking than film stars, urges Salman Khan to...
Pakistan's New Batting Sensation Kamran Ghulam Was Slapped By Haris Rauf On Field. Old Video Viral
Watch: Avinash Mishra thrown out of Bigg Boss 18 house for SHOCKING reason
IND vs NZ test: Toss delayed due to rain in Bengaluru, next inspection to be in...
Karnataka rains: Bengaluru reels under severe waterlogging, traffic hit; check IMD forecast till...
IndiGo flight redirected to Jaipur due to security-related alert
Rakul Preet Singh suffers back spasm after 80 kg deadlift without belt: 'Situation has been scary'
IND vs NZ Test: Sanju Samson's BIG revelation, says, 'Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir told me to...'
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a new job, he now works for...
Chennai Rains: Two-wheelers parked in flats, 4th floor of apartments, SEE VIRAL PICS