New Delhi: Justice S N Phukan, who headed the now disbanded Tehelka Commission, today (Oct 7, 2004) joined issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his statement that the Commission "has not been able to produce a report in three years".

He also said his probe was at a "very advanced" stage and would have completed its job within six months had the new Government's counsel "cooperated" with it.

"I have been heading the Commission for the last one-and-half years and not three years. In February this year, I had submitted to the Prime Minister the Commission's report on the probe into 15 Defence deals that were referred to it. How can anyone say that the Commission has not given any report," he said in an interview.

The Prime Minister, who made the statement at a press conference in Mumbai yesterday (Oct 6, 2004), appeared not to have been briefed properly by officials, he said.

Justice Phukan also accused the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government's counsel of not cooperating with the Commission and said that the new counsels appointed by the Centre sought repeated adjournments for three months. "We were at a very advanced stage in the inquiry proceedings. Unfortunately, the counsel appointed by the new Government, who sought adjournments one after another totalling three months," the retired Supreme Court Judge said.

"If the Government lawyers had fully cooperated, the report regarding allegations on the Tehelka tapes would have been complete within six months," he said.