NEW DELHI, 22 June 2004 — The Tehelka tapes that led to then Defense Minister George Fernandes’ resignation three years ago, are original and have not been tampered with, London-based expert Mathew James Cass told the S.N. Phukan Commission of Inquiry yesterday.

Cass said that the tapes were edited but there was no technical evidence that they have been overdubbed as contended by Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitley and army officers who had figured in the tapes.

“In my opinion, there is nothing to indicate that the tapes supplied to me by the commission are not the camera signals made at the time of the incidents depicted. There is significant evidence to support the contention that they are camera signals,” Cass said.

He is an associate director for the Department of Electronic Evidence and senior video, audio and imaging expert at the Bureau of Forensic Science, London. Cass has also worked with the Scientific Support Unit of Thames Valley Police in the UK.

He was asked to examine the tapes to establish their authenticity as camera signals and explain whether the tapes had been edited. Cass was provided tapes for examination last year on June 5, 2003 and was also supplied with broadcast tapes and recording equipments including briefcase and tie cameras used by the portal in the expose.

In his 16-page report submitted to the commission, Cass said: “In all instances where overdubbing of another voice is alleged, there is no evidence on a technical level to support this allegation. The voice in each case is consistent as is the background.”

Cass was instructed to address specific allegations by Jaya Jaitley, army officers Anil Sehgal, Iqbal Singh, P.S.K. Choudhary and a businessman R.K. Gupta who had appeared in the tapes. He was asked to compare the final edited program with camera signals.

Cass recommended to the commission that it should view the original tape on high quality playback equipment and take its own decision on whether material removed in the edit was significant and if its removal does change the context of subjects, words or actions.

On inconsistencies in both the commission’s and the news portal’s transcriptions, Cass said: “I can point out the inaccuracies but it is not my place to comment on the change in context that these could result in.”

Elated by the London-based expert’s opinion on tapes being original, Tehelka Managing Editor Tarun Tejpal told PTI in London: “Of course, it is a big relief. It is a shame that for the last three-and-a-half years, we have been victimized and we have lost everything. It only shows how a system resists every inquiry against it.”

Demanding compensation for damages caused to Tehelka, Tejpal said: “I have written to the prime minister seeking changes in the way the Tehelka Commission went about its duty and demanded compensation for damages.”

“The investigation procedure of the commission going into the expose has been affected by the immoralities of the government,” Tejpal said. He specified that he wanted a proper inquiry to get into the truth of allegations of corruption in defense deals.

He said: “I have also demanded compensation for being victimized for the last three-and-a-half years. The government can constitute a committee of eminent persons to assess our damages and decide accordingly about the compensation.”