Tehelka Tapes

▪ 2002

      In 2001 a stunning exposé by a New Delhi news portal claimed the jobs of India's defense minister, senior party functionaries of the ruling coalition, and at least five high-ranking members of the armed forces. The exposé, which appeared in March on Tehelka.com, included videotapes showing senior government officials accepting money in exchange for defense contracts.

      In Tehelka.com's sting operation, reporters posed as representatives of nonexistent foreign arms dealers. The reporters' modus operandi involved offering to sell thermal cameras and other equipment to the Indian army. The ensuing encounters—including kickbacks accepted by politicians and army officials—were filmed by hidden cameras. The investigation, which lasted more than six months, culminated in a press conference by Tehelka.com on March 13, during which the editor in chief, Tarun Tejpal, showed the footage assembled by his team.

      The exposé came during a crucial budget session of Parliament and paralyzed the proceedings. Bangaru Laxman, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had to resign after being caught on camera accepting money. Defense Minister George Fernandes had to resign after his Samata Party colleague Jaya Jaitly was shown meeting arms brokers at his official residence. Three of the five implicated army officers faced a court martial, while another's services were terminated.

      The government-appointed commission of inquiry probing the scandal consisted of a single member, Justice K. Venkataswami, a retired Supreme Court judge. Tehelka.com submitted all of its videotapes and transcripts to Venkataswami, who on October 12 ruled that the tapes were genuine and that they had not been doctored. The commission probe was still under way at year's end.

      On August 22 the Indian Express reported that Tehelka.com had employed prostitutes as a “honey trap” to cement the arms deals, a fact not disclosed earlier by the portal. The encounters between defense personnel, middlemen, Tehelka reporters posing as arms dealers, and the women were also captured on camera. Subsequent reports revealed that Tehelka had filmed sexual encounters, allegedly without the consent of the prostitutes, a fact admitted by the portal. This revelation put Tehelka's credibility in question—the portal was accused of violating individuals' rights to privacy, selectively editing, and erroneously transcribing the tapes to suit the story. The government was quick to denounce Tehelka's investigative methods. Tejpal's defense was that his reporters, to maintain their cover, had to accede to demands for paid sex made by the army officers.

      Tejpal's “end-justifies-the-means” argument found as many supporters as critics. For the latter, Tehelka's nondisclosure of having used prostitutes and then filming the sex was proof of mala fide intent. To Tehelka supporters the tactics that were employed represented a genuine effort not to let sleaze sidetrack the main issue of corruption and to protect the women on the tapes.

Shalaka Paradkar

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