76-686: 2004–2007 (tabloid) Tehelka ( lit. ' Sensation ' ) is an Indian news magazine known for its investigative journalism and sting operations . According to the British newspaper The Independent , the Tehelka was founded by Tarun Tejpal , Aniruddha Bahal and another colleague who worked together at the Outlook magazine after "an investor with deep pockets" agreed to underwrite their startup. Bahal left Tehelka in 2005 to start Cobrapost – an Indian news website, after which Tehelka
152-466: A "ruse to expand personal wealth [of Tejpal]". According to Sevanti Ninan , a former Tehelka employee and later a columnist at the Mint newspaper, this was not an isolated event. Tehelka suppressed stories related to multiple sponsors. "Whenever there was a sponsor involved for Think Fest", states Ninan, "things would get murky for Tehelka and stories would be killed". According to Maya Ranganathan,
228-487: A colleague quit their jobs from Outlook magazine and started Tehelka in New Delhi as a website in 2000. Tehelka gained national fame when Aniruddha Bahal and Matthew Samuel completed and published undercover videotapes about corruption in a fake arms deal through the sting – "Operation West End" – in 2001. The Tehelka report triggered a government inquiry. The exposé caught senior defence personnel and politicians of
304-492: A joint sitting of Parliament. A joint session is chaired by the speaker of the Lok Sabha. Also, because the joint session is convened by the president on the advice of the government, which already has a majority in the Lok Sabha, the joint session is usually convened to get bills passed through a Rajya Sabha in which the government has a minority. Joint sessions of Parliament are a rarity, and have been convened three times in
380-792: A leader of the opposition (LOP) – leading the opposition parties. The function was only recognized in the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of the Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. This is commonly the leader of the largest non-government party and is recognized as such by the chairman. The Secretariat of the Rajya Sabha was set up under the provisions contained in Article 98 of the Constitution. The said Article, which provides for
456-474: A magazine, it was further accused of favouring the companies which supported "THiNK Fest" in spite of the magazine's previous anti-corporate stance. Tehelka has denied these allegations. Raman Kripal, a senior editor of Tehelka , accused the magazine of suppressing a report that was unfavorable to the Goa mining industry, allegedly because Tehelka wanted Congress-led Digambar Kamat state government's support for
532-763: A report against members of the Bajrang Dal and for their role in the Naroda Patiya massacre during the 2002 Gujarat violence . The report, called " The Truth: Gujarat 2002 ", was based on a six-month sting operation with video footage of the members admitting their role in the violence, along with claims that later proved to be "boastful lies". It won the International Press Institute (IPI) India Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2010 and 2011. Tarun Tejpal , Aniruddha Bahal and
608-409: A separate secretarial staff for each house of Parliament, reads as follows:- 98. Secretariat of Parliament – Each House of Parliament shall have a separate secretarial staff: Provided that nothing in this clause shall be construed as preventing the creation of posts common to both Houses of Parliament. (2) Parliament may by law regulate the recruitment and the conditions of service of persons appointed to
684-528: A target of serious fraud investigations including a ponzi scheme in West Bengal. After "Operation West End", Tehelka 's "sting journalism" influenced the Indian media. Within five years, its news channels began to regularly feature sting operations . Tejpal called it the "greatest tool of journalistic investigation and exposure" and that it was for public interest. Inspired by Tehelka's method and
760-474: A third of the 233 designates up for election every two years, in even-numbered years. Unlike the Lok Sabha , the Rajya Sabha is a continuing chamber and hence not subject to dissolution. However, the Rajya Sabha, like the Lok Sabha, can be prorogued by the president. The Rajya Sabha has equal footing in legislation with the Lok Sabha, except in the area of supply , where the latter has overriding powers. In
836-512: A tool for justice, but a hidden camera cannot be allowed to depict something which is not true, correct and is not happening but has happened because of inducement by entrapping a person", according to Ravi Sundaram. According to Maya Ranganathan, the genre of sting journalism started by Tehelka in India has spawned 'entrapment journalism'. Unlike other countries such as the USA where 'sting journalism'
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#1732771944439912-535: Is 250 (238 elected, 12 appointed) according to article 80 of the Indian Constitution . The current potential seating capacity of the Rajya Sabha is 245 (233 elected, 12 appointed), after the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act. The maximum seats of 250 members can be filled up at the discretion and requirements of the house of Rajya Sabha. Members sit for staggered terms lasting six years, with about
988-560: Is called investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors, and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity." Early newspapers in British colonial America were often suppressed by the authorities for their investigative journalism. Examples include Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick and Benjamin Franklin's New England Courant . Journalists who reported on
1064-402: Is illegal, in India it is legal and has increasing led to "aims and means" where a sting journalist team presumes a group or ideology as corrupt, targets them through undercover operation to show them to be corrupt, and then plies them with promise of large bribes (financial reward) or social pressure till the resistance of the target cracks. The target succumbs to the entrapment and is captured in
1140-412: Is no different from the rest of journalism". Investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice , political corruption , or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Practitioners sometimes use
1216-518: The Center for Public Integrity which includes 165 investigative reporters in over 65 countries working collaboratively on crime, corruption, and abuse of power at a global level, under Gerard Ryle as Director. Working with major media outlets globally, they have exposed organised crime, international tobacco companies, private military cartels, asbestos companies, climate change lobbyists, details of Iraq and Afghanistan war contracts, and most recently
1292-475: The Council of States , is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India . As of 2023 , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using single transferable votes through open ballots, while the president can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social service. The total allowed capacity
1368-513: The India Today , it showed "VHP activists, actual perpetrators of the crimes as well as government counsel boasting" they had a role in attacking the Muslim community during the 2002 Gujarat violence . The report, called "The Truth: Gujarat 2002", was published in its 7 November 2007 issue and the video footage was shown on Aaj Tak . It said that the violence was possible because of approval by
1444-807: The Panama Papers and Paradise Papers . The investigative Commons center opened in Berlin , Germany in 2021 and houses the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights , Forensic Architecture , and Bellingcat . An investigative reporter may make use of one or more of these tools, among others, on a single story: Organizations, Publications and People Rajya Sabha Opposition (112) Others (25) Vacant (14) 28°37′0″N 77°12′30″E / 28.61667°N 77.20833°E / 28.61667; 77.20833 The Rajya Sabha ( lit : "States' Assembly"), also known as
1520-537: The South Africa cricket match fixing scandal involving Hansie Cronje in March 2000. Prabhakar and Bahal went around the country and Prabhakar, wearing hidden recording equipment, attended meetings with important Indian cricket board officials ( BCCI ) and players. He recorded conversations where they talked about links between players and bookmakers, matches being thrown in return for money, deliberate run-outs and
1596-428: The Tehelka staff saw the government inquiry as a direct attack on them. By 2003, Tehelka staff decreased from 120 to 3 and the website shut down because of debts. Bahal left Tehelka in the same year, saying the government was "bogging us down with a lot of legal nonsense" and later founded Cobrapost.com . In 2004, after more than 200 writers, lawyers, business people and activists became founder-subscribers, Tehelka
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#17327719444391672-543: The Hindi language website in 2007 and then Tehelka's Hindi News magazine. Sanjay Dubey was the executive editor of the Hindi magazine. In the early years, Tarun Tejpal was Tehelka's largest shareholder through his shell company Agni Media. In an interview to The New York Times, Tejpal stated that he covered the losses at Tehelka by soliciting funds from his personal contacts. "THiNK Fest" was started in 2011 as an annual literary festival and promoted as an event of Tehelka , though
1748-825: The Indian army would be interested in obtaining thermal imaging cameras . They printed business cards and photographs of particular camera models in Tehelka' s office in suburban Delhi and Samuel did the main dealings. They initially had to bribe junior officials in the defence ministry for amounts ranging from ₹ 10,000 (US$ 120) to ₹ 60,000 (US$ 720), to help them in securing deals with several middlemen. These middlemen said they "fixed" deals before involving jets and artillery; Samuel and Bahal recorded these conversations using hidden cameras. They dealt with Samata Party President Jaya Jaitley (The then Defence Minister George Fernandes belonged to this party), whom they paid ₹ 300,000 (US$ 3,600), and she agreed to tell Fernandes about them. After bribing other officials, they were introduced to
1824-451: The Rajya Sabha can only give recommendations for a money bill, but the Rajya Sabha cannot amend a money bill. This is to ensure that the Rajya Sabha must not add any non-money matters to the money bill. There is no joint sitting of both the houses for money bills, because all final decisions are taken by the Lok Sabha. Article 108 provides for a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament in certain cases. A joint sitting can be convened by
1900-415: The Rajya Sabha for 14 days during which it can make recommendations. Even if the Rajya Sabha fails to return the money bill in 14 days to the Lok Sabha, that bill is deemed to have passed by both houses. Also, if the Lok Sabha rejects any (or all) of the amendments proposed by the Rajya Sabha, the bill is deemed to have been passed by both houses of Parliament in the form the Lok Sabha finally passes it. Hence,
1976-620: The Rajya Sabha has powers that protect the rights of States against the Union government. The Constitution empowers the Parliament of India to make laws on the matters reserved for States. However, this can only be done if the Rajya Sabha first passes a resolution by a two-third majority granting such a power to the Union Parliament. The Union government cannot make a law on a matter reserved for States without any authorisation from
2052-508: The Rajya Sabha was to consist of 216 members, of which 12 members were to be nominated by the president and the remaining 204 elected to represent the states. The present sanctioned strength of the Rajya Sabha in the Constitution of India is 250, which can be increased by constitutional amendment. However, the present strength is 245 members according to the Representation of People Act, 1951 , which can be increased up to 250 by amending
2128-455: The Rajya Sabha, and the Lok Sabha (the lower house, House of the People) is more powerful in certain areas. The definition of a money bill is given in Article 110 of the Constitution of India. A money bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha by a minister and only on the recommendation of the president of India. When the Lok Sabha passes a money bill then the Lok Sabha sends the money bill to
2204-572: The Rajya Sabha. The Union government reserves the power to make laws directly affecting the citizens across all the States whereas, a single state in itself reserves the power to make rules and governing laws of their region. The Rajya Sabha plays a vital role in protecting the States' culture and interests. The Rajya Sabha, by a two-thirds supermajority, can pass a resolution empowering the Indian government to create more all-India services common to both
2280-567: The Samata Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and others accepting bribes from a fake company offering fake defence products. The scandal and subsequent inquiry led to the resignation of many including India's Defence Minister. Politicians from various parties called for action against Tehelka journalists for its unethical methods such as procuring and providing prostitutes for its undercover sting. According to Navdip Dhariwal,
2356-645: The Tehelka report that a police superintendent named Gadhvi was on duty and killed five Muslims in Dariapur during the riots. However, attempts to corroborate this Tehelka report claim failed as Gadhvi arrived in Dariapur a month later. Tehelka has been criticised mainly for its investigative journalism which led to the debate about its ethics . It has been accused of siding with the Congress party of India . After Tehelka got financial backing for its relaunch as
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2432-550: The Tejpal owned and profitable "Think Fest" event in Goa. Tejpal defended Tehelka stating that Kripal was "asked to leave because of poor performance". According to Debarshi Dasgupta, it was an unusual coincidence that mining groups placed advertisements and sponsored Tehelka events just when the report was suppressed by Tehelka . Further, states a critical article in The Outlook , if Tehelka lost money in its operations, how
2508-638: The act itself, of whom 233 are representatives of the states and union territories and 12 are nominated by the president. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are persons who are eminent in particular fields and are well-known contributors in the particular field. 28 (4) 26 (3) 28 (2) 26 (4) 28 (4) 26 (2) 28 (2) 26 (4) 29 (3) 26 (2) 28 (2) 26 (1) 28 (1) 26 (2) 28 (2) 26 (4) 28 (4) 27 (3) 28 (3) 26 (3) 28 (3) 26 (7) 28 (6) 26 (4) 28 (3) 26 (3) 28 (4) 26 (6) 28 (6) 26 (2) 28 (2) 26 (10) 28 (11) 26 (1) 28 (1) 26 (5) 29 (6) 26(1) 28(5) 25 (08) 26 (73) 27 (04) 28 (75) 29 (10) Besides
2584-532: The army and the Ministry of Defence. In 2012, Laxman was sentenced to four years in jail by additional sessions Judge Kanwal Jeet Arora for this case. Author and journalist Madhu Trehan wrote a non-fiction book in 2009 on this incident, called Tehelka as Metaphor . In 2007, Tehelka released footage filmed over six months relating to the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat. According to Uday Mahurkar writing in
2660-549: The budgets for investigative journalism. A 2002 study concluded "that investigative journalism has all but disappeared from the nation's commercial airwaves." Non-commercial journalism has increasingly stepped-up to work on this growing need for in-depth investigations and reporting. One of the largest teams of investigative journalists is the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) launched in 1997 by
2736-401: The case of conflicting legislation, a joint sitting of the two houses can be held, where the Lok Sabha would hold a greater influence because of its larger membership. The vice president of India (currently, Jagdeep Dhankhar ) is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. The deputy chairman , who is elected from amongst the house's members, takes care of
2812-412: The case of the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers ), or by nonprofit outlets such as ProPublica , which rely on the support of the public and benefactors to fund their work. University of Missouri journalism professor Steve Weinberg defined investigative journalism as: "Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers, or listeners." In many cases,
2888-453: The chairman (vice-president of India) and the deputy chairman, there is also a position called leader of the House . This is a cabinet minister – the prime minister if they are a member of the House or another nominated minister. The leader has a seat next to the chairman, in the front row. Besides the leader of the House, who is the government's chief representative in the House, there is also
2964-462: The damage by private treaty" with the victim, calling the assault as a "lapse of judgment", "awful misreading of the situation" and an "untoward incident", indicative of double standards in Tehelka for behavior that "carried a penalty of significant jail-time in the world outside Tehelka", states Varadarajan. As of 2013, Tehelka was running significant losses every year, and the Indian media questioned how and why these losses were being bankrolled by
3040-500: The day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the chairman. The Rajya Sabha held its first sitting on 13 May 1952. The Rajya Sabha meets in the eponymous chamber in Parliament House in New Delhi . Since 18 July 2018, the Rajya Sabha has the facility for simultaneous interpretation in all the 22 scheduled languages of India . The Rajya Sabha proceedings are televised live on channel Sansad TV, headquartered within
3116-434: The discharge of their constitutional and statutory responsibilities, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha is assisted by the secretary-general, who holds the rank equivalent to the cabinet secretary to the government of India. The secretary-general, in turn, is assisted by senior functionaries at the level of secretary, additional secretary, joint secretary and other officers and staff of the secretariat. The present secretary-general
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3192-570: The doings of the British authorities would later contribute to revolutionary sentiment in the run-up to the American Revolution ; one prominent example was the Boston Gazette , contributed to by Samuel Adams among others. American journalism textbooks point out that muckraking standards promoted by McClure's Magazine around 1902, "Have become integral to the character of modern investigative journalism." Furthermore,
3268-414: The industrialist and Trinamool Congress member K. D. Singh and his shell company Anant Media Private Limited and Alchemist group. The politician K. D. Singh has been accused of launching an undercover sting operation through an employee of Tehelka – Mathew Samuel – against politicians of his own party Trinamool Congress . Both Singh – the once majority shareholder of Tehelka – and his companies remain
3344-477: The investigation as a "needed transgression". The public and majority of their competitors supported them; The Times of India concluded that the issue of ethics "pales before the sleaze their team has dug up", The Hindu called it a "turning point in Indian journalism" but The Indian Express criticised the methods used by the Tehelka team. Tejpal received death threats and was given police protection. His reporters said that their "extraordinary methods" were for
3420-461: The larger public and national interest. V S Naipal held a news conference and met the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani . Naipal told the media, "This thing that has happened to Tehelka has been profoundly disappointing to me, It comes from another era. It serves no purpose. It seems to me it will profoundly damage the country." In 2004, the CBI registered cases against Jaitley, Laxman and others in
3496-409: The last 71 years, for passage of a specific legislative act, the latest time being in 2002: Unlike the Lok Sabha, members of the Rajya Sabha cannot bring to the house a no-confidence motion against the government. In the Indian quasi-federal structure, the Rajya Sabha is representative of the States and Union territories in the union legislature (hence the name, Council of States). For this reason,
3572-628: The magazine primarily relied on subscribers and copies sold as of 2008. Tehelka had cumulative losses of ₹ 66 crore (US$ 7.9 million) through 2013, while being majority owned and financed by Kanwar Deep Singh – an industrialist, a politician and a member of Indian parliament ( Rajya Sabha ) initially elected by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha , later All India Trinamool Congress . Tejpal changed Tehelka from tabloid to magazine in September 2007 to encourage more potential advertisers, but found it difficult because of their sting operations. Tejpal started
3648-534: The magazine's ownership, finances and who had been bankrolling their substantial annual losses. They have called the internal lack of transparency as something in stark contrast to the transparency it aims to share by publishing undercover sting operations on everyone outside of Tehelka . The Outlook quotes a former employee of Tehelka summarizing this criticism as "they [Tehelka's management] said it’s their business to suspect people’s intentions but refused to let others question them. I doubt they even followed half of
3724-485: The members are elected by the state legislature, some small union territories, those without legislatures, cannot have representation. Hence, Andaman and Nicobar Islands , Chandigarh , Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu , Ladakh and Lakshadweep do not send any representatives. Twelve members are nominated by the president. As per the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950,
3800-500: The moment of weakness by a hidden camera. The target may have no criminal intent to begin with, but was goaded into a criminal act by the "sting journalist". Though sensational and potentially destructive for the target, it does not serve the public interest. Authorities and politicians demanded a sort of legislation over such "stings". Journalists against such sting operations, questioned the difference between this type of reporting and entrapment. Others questioned whether some subjects of
3876-765: The names of players involved. They recorded more than 40 hours of taped conversations, which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) used as evidence for its own inquiry. The CBI implicated Mohammad Azharuddin , Ajay Jadeja and Ajay Sharma as the cricketers involved. The documentary Fallen Heroes: The Betrayal of a Nation , which was released in May of the same year, showed Prabhakar's work and Bahal published his report on Tehelka.com . In 2001, Tehelka did its first major sting investigation called " Operation West End ". It involved Mathew Samuel and Bahal, filming how they bribed several defence officials and politicians from
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#17327719444393952-469: The post-Tejpal-arrest discussions and the critical examination of Tehelka have led multiple scholars to not only praise its early aim of being alternative mainstream non-conformist media, but recounted how it failed and how it allowed advertisers and those who paid to influence content published by Tehelka . Tehelka employees complained that they were not "even being paid their salaries regularly and many had to quit" in late 2000s and early 2010s, while at
4028-453: The premises of Parliament. Article 84 of the Constitution lays down the qualifications for membership of Parliament. A member of the Rajya Sabha must: In addition, twelve members are nominated by the president of India having special knowledge in various areas like arts and science. However, they are not entitled to vote in presidential elections as per Article 55 of the Constitution. The Constitution of India places some restrictions on
4104-418: The president of India when one house has either rejected a bill passed by the other house, has not taken any action on a bill transmitted to it by the other house for six months, or has disagreed with the amendments proposed by the Lok Sabha on a bill passed by it. Considering that the numerical strength of the Lok Sabha is more than twice that of the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha tends to have a greater influence in
4180-474: The program was run by an organisation called Thinkworks Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Tejpal, his sister Neena and managing editor Shoma Chaudhury . It featured Bollywood actors, global thinkers and sessions on new technology. According to The New York Times , during a Tehelka organized "Think Fest" event in November 2013, a staff reporter of Tehelka accused Tejpal of rape and repeated sexual assault. Tejpal
4256-553: The reality and to target opponents and innocent lives. Fabricated sting operations published by a media group, for example, accused a local school teacher of operating a prostitution ring which led to upset parents and violent riots. In another case, a company's management hired a "sting journalism" team to gather evidence against its own workers. Concerned with the growing misuse of sting journalism, an Indian court ruled, "Sting operations showing acts and facts as they are truly and actually happening may be necessary in public interest and as
4332-466: The resulting national fame, a flood of sting and entrapment operations were increasingly "routinized as the corporeal edge of public life" in India, states Ravi Sundaram. These ranged from anticorruption exposés, political battles, domestic battles, propaganda material against opponents, publicity tool and to blackmail. False claims, careless lies, speculative hearsay and doctored tapes purportedly in "public interest" were created and published to misrepresent
4408-527: The same time Tehelka and Tejpal acquired "a swanky property near Nainital" and took "money from lifetime subscribers", or while the magazine's management visited London and boasted of their financial success. Similarly, the conflict of interest in the operations at Tehelka has been questioned because the magazine accepted money from Congress party's Kapil Sibal when he was a Union Minister. The former employees and journalists of Tehelka have criticized its founders and management for "lack of transparency" about
4484-543: The secretarial staff of either House of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat functions under the overall guidance and control of the chairman. The main activities of the Secretariat inter alia include the following: (i) providing secretarial assistance and support to the effective functioning of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha); (ii) providing amenities as admissible to Members of Rajya Sabha; (iii) servicing
4560-465: The sexual assault allegations, Tehelka emails and messages showed an attempt to "tarnish the victim's reputation". According to Tunku Varadarajan, the rhetoric in Tehelka about women's right sounded hollow, and "Tejpal is, perhaps, just another unreconstructed, predatory Indian male who was playing the part of politically correct editor for commercial effect" at Tehelka . Further, both Tejpal and his fellow Tehelka executive Chaudhury, "sought to minimize
4636-548: The state police, as well as the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi . The Tehelka report was based on allegations made during the undercover interviews. According to Mahurkar, efforts to corroborate the allegations suggest that it contains "boastful lies". For example, two interviewees claimed that Modi visited them in Naroda Patiya and thanked them, when official records of the chief minister Modi's movements show he did not. Similarly, another VHP activist stated in
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#17327719444394712-421: The sting journalism were in public interest or a form of voyeurism . The Supreme Court of India expressed its concern over the cases of freelance reporters selling their sting reports, questioning whether their intent was for money or public interest. Cases of sting operations where fake evidence were given increased the court's criticism. Tejpal said, "there may be bad, motivated and indifferent stings - but that
4788-493: The strict rules they set for others". The sexual assault allegations against Tejpal in November 2013 received intense public attention and invited the media scrutiny of Tehelka . Tejpal's and Shoma Chaudhury's behavior immediately after the allegations emerged were seen as hypocrisy given Tehelka had previously published a special issue on sexual violence in India and highlighted victim's rights in February 2013. Within days of
4864-507: The subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed. There are currently university departments for teaching investigative journalism. Conferences are conducted presenting peer-reviewed research into investigative journalism. British media theorist Hugo de Burgh (2000) states that: "An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally
4940-552: The successes of the early muckrakers continued to inspire journalists. The outlook for investigative journalism in the United States was improved by the 1960s with the Freedom of Information Act and New York Times Co. v. Sullivan . The invention of the photocopier also offered an assistive tool to whistleblowers . The growth of media conglomerates in the U.S. since the 1980s has been accompanied by massive cuts in
5016-491: The terms "watchdog reporting" or "accountability reporting". Most investigative journalism has traditionally been conducted by newspapers, wire services , and freelance journalists. With the decline in income through advertising, many traditional news services have struggled to fund investigative journalism, due to it being very time-consuming and expensive. Journalistic investigations are increasingly carried out by news organizations working together, even internationally (as in
5092-764: The then Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) President Bangaru Laxman who accepted ₹ 150,000 (US$ 1,800) as a "small new year's gift". Laxman recommended they meet Brajesh Mishra , who was the National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee . The operation took seven and a half months with Tejpal later saying that the total amount they paid in bribes was ₹ 1.5 million (US$ 18,000). The deals were in expensive hotels and few officials asked for branded whisky. In this whole operation, they recorded around 100 hours of video footage. Six months after Tehelka had made public its investigations, The Indian Express acquired and published transcripts of
5168-530: The then-ruling NDA -led (National Democratic Alliance) Indian government, posing as arms dealers. Charging a commission from defence deals is illegal in India. They started their investigation in August 2000 because of hearing rumours of middlemen getting rich in such deals in the 1980s. They created a fake British company based in Regent Street , London called "West End". Bahal and Samuel then found out that
5244-495: The union and the states. Members of the Rajya Sabha by their political party (as of 11 October 2024 ): Seats are allotted in proportion to the population of each state or union territory . Certain states may even have more representatives than states more populous than them, because in past they too had high population. For example, Tamil Nadu has 18 representatives for 72 million inhabitants (in 2011) whereas Bihar (104 million) and West Bengal (91 million) only have 16. As
5320-505: The various Parliamentary Committees; (iv) preparing research and reference material and bringing out various publications; (v) recruitment of manpower in the Sabha Secretariat and attending to personnel matters; and (vi) preparing and publishing a record of the day-to-day proceedings of the Rajya Sabha and bringing out such other publications, as may be required concerning the functioning of the Rajya Sabha and its Committees. In
5396-422: The video tapes. It showed that as part of the investigations, the reporters hired prostitutes to serve the officials. This raised ethical questions about the methods used. Tejpal later issued a statement denying that any of its women staff were provided as prostitutes. Politicians of the ruling parties called for the journalist's arrests for supplying prostitutes and questioned their ethics. Tejpal called that part of
5472-406: Was arrested by Goa police and he stepped aside as editor of Tehelka, and his colleague Shoma Chaudhury resigned from Tehelka on 28 November because of the incident. In 2014, Mathew Samuel became the managing editor of Tehelka. In March 2016, Charanjit Ahuja became the editor of the fortnightly. Bahal and Tejpal convinced cricketer Manoj Prabhakar to record conversations with his colleagues, after
5548-455: Was it able to acquire major properties in Goa? Given Tehelka purported goals and mission to fight for the public transparency, why did it secretly seek, misrepresent and receive a ₹ 0.85 crore (US$ 100,000) grant from the Goa government for the 2011 private Tehelka event to invite movie stars and other celebrities. The Tehelka and its sting targets, states the Outlook magazine, seem to be
5624-504: Was managed by Tejpal through 2013. In 2013, Tejpal stepped aside from Tehelka after being accused of sexual assault by his employee. Tehelka had cumulative losses of ₹ 66 crore (US$ 7.9 million) till 2013, while being majority owned and financed by Kanwar Deep Singh – an industrialist, a politician and a member of Indian parliament ( Rajya Sabha ). The magazine began circulating tabloid -format newspapers in 2004 and switched to magazine in 2007. Tehelka 's first sting operation
5700-429: Was on a cricket match fixing scandal in 2000. In 2001, it won national fame and public support for its sting "Operation West End". This 2001 undercover operation recorded and released footage of government officials accepting prostitutes and bribes in a fake arms deal. This caused the resignations of several officials including the then Defence Minister and two presidents of the ruling parties. In 2007, Tehelka published
5776-542: Was relaunched as a reader-financed weekly newspaper in tabloid format. Among the supporters were activist Arundhati Roy , Congress party politician Shashi Tharoor and Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul . It called itself the "People's Paper" and the reporters took a tour around the country promoting what they called "free, fair and fearless" journalism. After its Naroda Patiya sting operation in 2007, it sold around 75,000 to 90,000 copies per week. It still suffered large financial losses, since it attracted very few advertisements and
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