The Hindu : Phukan to head Tehelka panel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 05, 2003

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Phukan to head Tehelka panel

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI Jan. 4 . The Government has appointed Justice S.N. Phukan, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, as the new chief of the Tehelka enquiry commission. He succeeds Justice K. Venkataswami, who resigned on November 23 last year. Mr. Phukan, who retired last April, hails from Assam and now heads the State Human Rights Commission.

He will take charge of his new assignment later this month.

The probe expose is now in a crucial stage, with the "draft'' report concerning the past defence transactions almost ready and an enquiry into the financial transactions of Tehelka portal yet to be taken up. The Commission had examined 50 witnesses and passed 720 interim orders, recorded 961 pages of depositions regarding 15 past defence transactions and 3,114 pages in respect of deposition of other witnesses.

It is not clear whether the new incumbent would begin a fresh enquiry or continue from where Mr. Venkataswami had left.

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