They were arrested for allegedly plotting with Pakistan's ISI to kill Tarun Tejpal and Anirudh Bahl in May 2001 after their expose on alleged corruption in defence deals.
Five people, arrested for allegedly plotting with Pakistan's ISI to kill Tehelka magazine scribes Tarun Tejpal and Anirudh Bahl in May 2001 after their expose on alleged corruption in defence deals, have been acquitted by a Delhi court.
"Even falsehood is sometimes given a clever appearance of truth, so that truth disappears and falsehood comes on the surface. This appears to be one of those cases," Additional Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court) Gurvinder Pal Singh said, while acquitting and ordering release of the five persons.
"All the accused persons are given benefit of doubt and are acquitted for the offences charged. Superintendent Jail be directed to release the accused from jail, if not required in any other case," the court added.
They five who were acquitted are Delhi residents Anil Kumar Sehrawat, Rakesh Solanki, Raj Kumar and Ombir and Ghazhiabad resident Dinesh Kumar Tyagi.
The Delhi police had arrested the five, along with alleged gangleader Bhupinder Tyagi, a native of Bihar on May 4, 2001 on charges of working at the behest of ISI to kill Tejpal and Bahal so that the needle of suspicion behind their killings point to the erstwhile government, smarting under an expose of allegedly massive corruption in defence deals during the tenure of the then defence minister Gerorge Fernandes.
Slapping charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy and forgery, the police had alleged that they had plotted to "eliminate" Tejpal and Bahl "at the behest of the ISI to create political instability in the country and to bring hatred, contempt and disaffection among Indians towards the Government of India."
"Killing of these two persons would be attributed to those people who have been exposed by the Tehelka and thereby causing discredit to the Indian government and political instability in the country," the police had told the court.
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