New Delhi, June 8
Just-retired General VK Singh, who created history by becoming the first serving Army Chief to drag the government to court over his age issue, today was summoned as an ‘accused’ in a criminal defamation case filed by Lt Gen Tejinder Singh (retd).

Four other officials, including the serving Vice Chief of the Army, have also been summoned by Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja who said all five have been "summoned as accused in the present matter". The court directed them to appear before it on July 20. This is perhaps the first case of its kind when the court has summoned such top-ranking officials. The summons have been issued to SK Singh,Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen BS Thakur, DG Military Intelligence, Maj Gen SL Narshiman, additional Director General of Public Information and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney.

Tejinder Singh has accused them of misusing their official positions, power and authority to level false charges against him through a press release on March 5.

Tejinder Singh , a former Director General of the Defence Intelligence Agency, had been accused of offering bribe of Rs 14 crore to General VK Singh for clearing a deal for 600 trucks, a charge strongly refuted by the former. The CBI is probing the matter separately.

The court clarified that the summons are only for the alleged offence of defamation. “The accused are not being summoned qua the allegation of hatching a criminal conspiracy against the complainant,” it said.

The officials have been summoned under Section 499 (defamation) read with Section 35 (act done with criminal knowledge or intention) of the IPC, the magistrate said.

Tejinder Singh had filed the complaint alleging that he was defamed by the Army through its press release issued on March 5. The press release blamed Tejinder Singh and some disgruntled serving officers of the Military Intelligence for planting story in the media relating to purported tapping of some sensitive phones in the Capital.