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Tehelka tapes genuine: Sibal

NEW DELHI, MAY 30. The Union Minister for Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal, said today that the pending inquiries into the Tehelka expose on defence deals as well as the controversial AK-47 deal should be taken to their logical conclusion.

On the Tehelka case, he said that till date no first information report had been filed though they were criminal offences. Favouring the continuance of the Tehelka Commission, he said: "This inquiry must go on transparently without protecting anybody."

Without naming the then Defence Minister, George Fernandes, who faced boycott by the Opposition led by the Congress in Parliament over the issue, Mr. Sibal said: "Priority must be that the process of law must take its course and whosoever is accused must be brought to book." The Tehelka tapes, which were sent for forensic examination to Britain, have been returned and experts have opined that they were "genuine," he said. The transcript of the tapes, which forms the basis of the court martial against the Army officers, matched with that of the conversation in tapes.

Mr. Sibal said the purchase of "inferior' self-loading AK-47 rifles by the Home Ministry for security personnel from a Bulgarian firm "must be put through the scanner."

Reacting sharply to the claim, the Samata Party leader, Jaya Jaitly, accused Mr. Sibal of subverting'' the order of the Commission probing the case and the due process of law. How does Sibal claim to be privy to the contents of the expert's report? It is of grave concern that a Minister in the Government is trying to over reach the Inquiry Commission and subvert its orders and the due process of law,'' she said in a statement here. Will Mr. Sibal reveal the source of his information, if any? she asked

`Babri case should be put back on rails'

The Babri Masjid demolition case, from which the former Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader, L.K. Advani, was "rescued" by the CBI, should be "put back on the rails," he said.

Mr. Sibal alleged that the case trial had been "derailed" with the CBI dropping Mr. Advani's name from the list of accused. It should be "put back on the rails" by proceeding against all those originally booked.

"The law was taking its course in the Ayodhya case and somebody diverted the legal process, that should be back on track."

PTI

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