"This is one of the half-truths she's voiced. Nothing of this, as she states, was said or intended," he said.
Asked why he recused himself from the post for six months after the incidents came to light, Tejpal said: "I had no reason to do that. I did so because Shoma Chaudhury felt I needed to make a clear gesture of atonement to appease the journalist's sense of being aggrieved.
"At this point Shoma did not want to take into account my version of the events. She felt we needed to honour the journalist's sense of being aggrieved. She felt we needed to honour the journalist's complaint, right or wrong, with some gestures."
"It's been rough and debilitating and we'll claw our way back as the facts become clear," Tejpal said, adding: "In any case, my alleged misconduct has no bearing on the great journalism done by Tehelka's reporters, nor reflects on any of them."
