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Jaya Jaitly denies having met Tehelka reporter

However, Jaitly told the commission that she had conveyed to a so-called Westend representative that she did not know anything about the defence ministry's working.

Alleging that Tehelka had "super-imposed and tampered" tapes to concoct a story, she said, "I never discussed any product. I discussed the defence ministry up to the extent of telling them that I did not know anything about the ministry."

When Tehelka counsel Kavin Gulati asked Jaitly how she knew that the equipment had to be tested before being supplied, she said it was her general experience.

Jaitly said she had worked with various organisations, which helped her to hold exhibitions of handicrafts that were tested for quality before being sold.

Pointing out that she was taking Tehelka's word on the presence of Samuel in the meeting, she said she only remembered Kanpur-based businessman Surinder Surekha, who had introduced someone to her as a representative of a company dealing with electronics.

Describing the meeting as "inconsequential", Jaitly said some parts in the tape were added from a phone conversation that she was having on the membership of the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Admitting that she had accepted Surekha's offer to donate "something" for the party, Jaitly said she had asked them to give it to Srinivasa Prasad, a party worker, as they were collecting funds for the party's national council meet.

Asked if the party workers used to work from Defence Minister George Fernandes's official residence, she said for party work, the office in Vittal Bhai House was being used but the partymen, mainly office bearers, could any time use the 3 Krishna Menon Marg bungalow for meetings and other trade union activities.

PTI

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