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VK Singh, 4 others get bail in defamation case
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, July 20
Former Army Chief Gen VK Singh and four top serving officers, including Vice Chief SK Singh, today appeared in a trial court in response to summons and got bail in a criminal defamation case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja granted them bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 each. The other three officers are Lt Gen BS Thakur (Director General of Military Intelligence), Maj Gen SL Narshiman (Additional Director General of Public Information) and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney.

The court had issued summons to them on a complaint filed by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh alleging that they had defamed him by issuing a press release on March 5.

The press release had alleged that Lt Gen Tejinder had offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore to Gen VK Singh, when he was Army Chief, for clearing a deal for the purchase of 600 trucks for the Army. It also alleged that Lt General Tejinder, when he was heading the Defence Intelligence Agency, was leaking out information related to the Army to the media.

After perusing the press release, the trial court had held that “prima facie” the release was defamatory in nature.