The names of several top politicians and journalists were included in the list, alleges The Caravan magazine.
India's top politicians, bureaucrats and journalists allegedly received iPads as Diwali gifts from Essar Services India Limited on November 1 in the year 2010.
According to report in The Caravan, an official at Essar Services India Limited (ESIL) had sent an email to the director and head of ESIL group, Sunil Bajaj. This mail was attached to a list of 222 names which included India's top politicians, bureaucrats and journalists. Those who were mentioned in the list had been sent iPads ahead of Diwali in 2010 by Essar, claimed The Caravan.
As per the The Caravan's report, this document was revealed as part of the 'Essar leaks'. The source whose name is unrevealed had access to Essar's internal communications and he had allegedly approached a prominent former politician, last year. He was well aware of the company's agenda behind this move which was actually an attempt to manage the government and the media, says The Caravan.
After going through hundreds of pages of the report, the politician's team allegedly found proof that the company had provided favours to numerous journalists and politicians. The Caravan report stated that a top BJP leader and a former top Congress leader and minister in the Manmohan Singh government, were also among the 222 people who had received the pre-Diwali gift from Essar.
The list contained contact information of each person. It also included data saying the number of iPads 'issued', the number of iPads 'delivered' and the number of them 'returned'. 195 people had received the gift, out of which 21 seemed to have returned it to the company, according to the The Caravan.
Designed and marketed by Apple, the iPad was launched worldwide in April 2010 but was not available in India except for the grey market where the product cost Rs 30,000. It was officially launched in India in January 2011 which just three months after the list was circulated.
A few journalists were contacted by The Caravan whose names were mentioned in the list. The media company reported that some journalists had received the iPad but they had returned it and some denied and said that they had never received any gift from Essar Company.
One of the top journalists named in the magazine report said "I have no memory of collecting an iPad from Essar and the only iPad I ever received was from the King of Bhutan."
"I was sent one which was promptly returned the very next day", claimed another top journalist and anchor who is the editor-in-chief of a prominent English news channel.
Another top scribe termed himself as a 'notorious iPad loser' and said that his office must have returned if he ever received it, reported The Caravan.
"I know nobody at Essar and I did not (receive an iPad). That's the truth. I did not", said a journalist to The Caravan.
Some journalists termed the 'expose' 'rubbish'. Top officials at Essar said that this email is now almost 5 years old and that they will have to check internal records before confirming as to any such email was exchanged or not.
Some of the persons named in the Caravan report even warned the media body saying that if they circulate any such news, their companies might have to take an action in accordance with the law.
You can read the full Caravan report at this link
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