The document chronicles a whistleblowing incident involving D. Murali, who reported comments made by TCA regarding staff preferences at The Hindu business line, suggesting possible bias against certain groups. The communication sparked a range of reactions from colleagues, defending or criticizing Murali's actions and TCA's remarks, along with a formal reprimand from the editor, Sampath Kumar, for breach of privacy and professional conduct. This controversy highlights issues of workplace discrimination, professional ethics, and the dynamics of staff communication within the organization.

1. Whistleblowing – Sequence of actions, reactions (as retrieved from archived mails)
Informed a director
From: Murali D
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:26 AM
To: kvenu@thehindu.co.in
Subject: FYI
FYI: Heard TCA say, a couple of days ago, that he does not want Malayalis and women as
staff. Dinkar was also present. Felt that the comment does not gel with the character of the
organisation, though I did not express my views on the matter. Thought I‟d bring this to your
attention.
Warm regards
D.Murali
The Hindu Business Line
Contact: http://bit.ly/F4TdMurali
Visit: http://bit.ly/TopTalk
Messages: +91 9444907996
**
Director’s response
On Wednesday, 11 April 2012 3:10 PM, K.Venugopal <kvenu@thehindu.co.in> wrote:
Noted
Venu
**
Forwarded to HR
----- Forwarded Message ----From: Murali D <maildm@yahoo.com>
To: Sreetharan C <csreetharan@thehindu.co.in>
Sent: Thursday, 12 April 2012 9:16 AM
Subject: For your record
Sree: For your record.
Warm regards
D.Murali
..

2. ----- Forwarded Message ----From: K.Venugopal <kvenu@thehindu.co.in>
To: Murali D <businessline@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 11 April 2012 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: FYI
Noted
Venu
From: Murali D
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:26 AM
To: kvenu@thehindu.co.in
Subject: FYI
FYI: Heard TCA say, a couple of days ago, that he does not want Malayalis and women as
staff. Dinkar was also present. Felt that the comment does not gel with the character of the
organisation, though I did not express my views on the matter. Thought I‟d bring this to your
attention.
Warm regards
D.Murali
..
**
Mailed to BL staff (group mail id)
From: D. Murali <dmurali.one@gmail.com>
Date: 30 July 2012 17:31
Subject: From my notes...
To: “blstaff@thehindu.co.in” <blstaff@thehindu.co.in>
From my notes... (shared with a few, in private)
**
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:26 AM
Heard TCA say, a couple of days ago, that he does not want Malayalis and women as staff.
Dinkar was also present. Felt that the comment does not gel with the character of the
organisation, though I did not express my views on the matter.
**
D. Murali
+919444907996
**

3. Reaction 1
From: Roudra Bhattacharya <roudra.bhattacharya@gmail.com>
Date: 30 July 2012 17:41
Subject: Re: [Blstaff] From my notes... {01}
To: “D. Murali” <dmurali.one@gmail.com>, blstaff@thehindu.co.in
Cc: Roudra Bhattacharya <roudra.b@thehindu.co.in>
Hi Sir,
I‟m sure TCA didn‟t mean it in that way. He has said a lot worse in humour, and maybe it
should be kept at that.
Roudra
**
Reaction 2
From: Rasheeda Bhagat
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 6:25 PM
To: Rasheeda Bhagat
Cc: Roudra Bhattacharya
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {03}
Its a lot worse than that Roudra.... not only is Murali being vicious, it has to be a total lie.
TCA has not been in Chennai for over 10 days.
**
Reaction 3
From: Aarthi Krishnan <akrishnan@thehindu.co.in>
Date: 30 July 2012 18:29
Subject: Re: [Blstaff] From my notes... {01}
To: “D. Murali” <dmurali.one@gmail.com>, blstaff@thehindu.co.in
Murali,
Why didn‟t you express your views on the matter? You should have come down on him like
a ton of bricks!
That‟s precisely what I, Rasheeda and other women do, when TCA makes these outrageous
statements.....
Incidentally, we don‟t plan to put in our papers anytime soon :-) Who takes this seriously,
boss?
Aarati

4. **
Reaction 4
From: Rasheeda Bhagat <rasheeda@thehindu.co.in>
Date: 30 July 2012 18:39
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {04}
To: Murali D <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Ok, just noticed that Murali‟s so-called private notes are dated April... but that doesn‟t make
it any less vicious. I am appalled that what was surely said in jest – as Aarati says he
provokes us with such statements all the time... has been twisted so terribly.
**
Reaction 5
From: richa mishra <richahbl@gmail.com>
Date: 30 July 2012 18:54
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {05}
To: Murali D <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Cc: Richa Mishra Tripathi <richa.mishra@thehindu.co.in>
Hi!
I normally don‟t get into these debates, as i feel that each of us are capable of fighting our
own battles. But, what i do strongly feel is that BLSTAFF email is not meant to make
personal remarks or fight personal battles. And this holds true for all.
As regards TCA and his comments. Well „Daddu‟ (Grandfather) as i refer to him seems to be
soon gaining the reputation of becoming the „bad boy‟ of Business Line. Wonder how people
will react if they are at the receiving end as often as Aditi or Richa are. But, our policy is to
give him back there and then. Those who are offended, try it, it really works.
Best.
**
Reaction 6
From: Radhakrishnan P Nair <radhakrishnan.nair@thehindu.co.in>
Date: 30 July 2012 17:36
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {02}
To: Murali D <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
I don‟t want to jump the gun, but what was the context, Murali? Was it in jest? If it was in the
tone and tenor you‟ve presented it, then it‟s a matter of grave apprehension. Maybe TCA sir
could make it clearer.
Rkn

5. **
Reaction 7
From: Dinakaran Rengachary <dinakaran.rengachary@thehindu.co.in>
Date: 30 July 2012 19:03
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {02}
To: Murali D <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Hi,
I have a responsibility to comment on this as my name has been dragged in. I second what
Roudra, Richa and Aarati say. And lets try to appreciate jokes.
I remember when TCA said something about women in the COB meeting, Aarati and
Rasheeda did what Aarati said - came “down on him like a ton of bricks”. In the end we all
(including TCA, Rasheeda, Aarati and Chitra) had a good laugh.
If I don‟t joke much and prefer to talk seriously, it doesn‟t mean I should expect everyone do
be like me. TCA is like that only. He has even criticised -- in his own language-- the choice
of stories in the Net edition. That doesn‟t mean I should get depressed. If all Sardarjis take
offence on jokes about them, there will be riots everywhere. I had a Sikh friend in Mumbai
who was compiling a book -- about Sardarji jokes.
When TCA started coordinating things (I had not even seen him), I was really scared by the
language he used. Later on, I understood it was how he talked. And now I have got used to it.
And finally, as Richa says, let‟s not use the blstaff list to settle personal scores. If we have a
grudge against an EMC member, we can always take it up with other members of the EMC.
Dinakaran Rengachary
Internet Editor
The Hindu Business Line
Website:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com
Mobile site: http://m.thehindubusinessline.com
Twitter:
@businessline
Email:
dinakaran.rengachary@thehindu.co.in
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheHinduBusinessLine
**
Reaction 8
From: JS <srinivasan.j@thehindu.co.in>

6. Date: 30 July 2012 19:05
Subject: [Blstaff] From my notes... {03}
To: Murali D <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Cc: blstaff@thehindu.co.in
Hi,
Lets stop this. It is entirely unworthy of any more discussion.
js
**
Editor’s letter 1
From: “D Sampathkumar” <sampath.kumar@thehindu.co.in>
Date: July 31, 2012 3:51:42 PM GMT+05:30
To: “Murali D” <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Subject: [Blstaff] {01}
Dear All
All of you received a mail last evening, from D. Murali, Deputy Editor of Business Line. He
had stated in that mail something to the effect that he heard TCA SrinivasaRaghavan, Senior
Associate Editor and a member of the Editorial Management Committee of this newspaper,
saying that he is not inclined towards employing a certain class of individuals on the rolls of
this newspaper.
As one who has put in more than a decade and a half of service in this organisation, D.
Murali should have known that this organisation is an equal opportunity employer and has
never sought to discriminate anyone on any grounds whatsoever other than on the most
objective criteria of performance. What is more, it has always had robust systems in place to
prevent and if per chance, were it to manifest, quickly remedy the same.
In the circumstances, I am left with no other alternative but to conclude that the real purpose
of him bringing up a purported conversation between him and TCA Srinivasa Raghavan and
one, let it be said, was supposed to have taken place more than three months ago, in a mail
addressed to all the staff, was only to forestall any adverse assessment by the latter, of his
own contribution to the newspaper.
Besides a gross act of character assassination of an esteemed senior colleague of ours, D.
Murali, I am sorry to say, has been guilty of putting office facilities that have not only been
established at greater financial and manpower costs to a use, that had nothing to do with
dissemination of information among colleagues necessary in our day to day work. In time, the
administrative consequences of such an act must of necessity follow from such misconduct in
the instant case as indeed it will, in future. But I take this opportunity to reiterate that this

7. organisation will always uphold the highest principles of fairness and equity in its dealings
with its employees even as we strive to establish our supremacy in the marketplace.
Sampath
**
Editor’s letter 2
From: sampath kumar <kumar20071952@gmail.com>
Date: 8 August 2012 14:04
Subject:
To: D Murali Businessline <dmurali.one@gmail.com>
Dear Murali
I notice that you have recorded my discussion with you in the office recently without my
permission. Quite apart from whatever implications the act carries from the point of view of
office discipline, I deem it also a gross violation of my privacy. I am greatly disappointed in
you.
Sampath
**
Editor’s letter 3
From: ”D Sampathkumar” <sampath.kumar@thehindu.co.in>
Date: August 9, 2012 8:40:33 PM GMT+05:30
To: ”Murali D” <murali.d@thehindu.co.in>
Subject: [Blstaff] {01}
Dear All
Yesterday, the Editor of The Hindu, Siddharth Varadarajan forwarded to me an audio clip
containing a recording of my conversation that I had with D. Murali in my cabin, some days
ago. I had listened to the clip and I am satisfied that the voice recorded therein, is in indeed
mine. I had not recorded it and caused it to be disseminated thereafter. That leaves me with
only two possibilities. One, somebody could have placed some recording device in my room
and thereby have the conversation to be recorded. Alternatively, D. Murali recorded it
without my knowledge and had it transmitted to somebody else which eventually landed in
Siddharth Vardarajan‟s mail box. I am inclined to rule out the first possibility and in any case,
I drew D. Murali‟s attention to it yesterday. Considering the gravity of the situation if he had
had no hand at all in it, the least that I would have expected him to do, is to at least deny any
role in it. But he has chosen to ignore my mail.
The issue is really not about whether any colleague of ours had made any disparaging
comment about any group of employees whether existing or prospective. It is also not about
whether D. Murali was right in broadcasting any sensitive remark, purported or otherwise,
made by another colleague instead of taking it up with me or pursue it in any other official
manner. It is also not about the violation of my right to privacy with regard to any
conversation that I might have with another person.

8. It is about D. Murali breaching a fundamental tenet that governs the professional life of a
journalist. It is that, we never record anything in the course of our work without the
knowledge of the subject with whom we are engaged in a conversation. Whether it is an act
of recording a conversation with an audio device or quite simply, the act of taking notes of
any conversation it is always done with the express permission of the subject and in a
transparent, open manner. For some reason D. Murali, has chosen not to extend an
elementary courtesy to his Editor that all of us would do without thinking, even of casual
conversations that we might have with a news source. While I will have to deal with the fall
out of complete loss of trust in Murali that his act has caused in me, I am bringing this to the
notice of all of you for an altogether different reason. Some of you might have already
received a copy of the audio clipping or might have heard about the existence of such a file.
If so, you will be wondering about the integrity of any official conversation or indeed the
wisdom of sharing your views with another colleague on an official matter, in a free and
frank manner. I am writing this mail to reassure you that I will strive to do everything
possible to ensure that official exchanges are not violated in this manner in future.
Additionally, I would also urge you to view D. Murali‟s act as an aberration of the most
unfortunate kind that should not deter you from giving off your best in the cause of the
newspaper.
Sampath
**
Page break followed by images of letters received/sent over post.

9. From Office

10. From Office (contd)
**

11. Resignation
**

12. Ack
**