Is Tehelka profitable?:Mamata Banerjee’s party’s ex-MP has larger stake in the magazine than Tarun Tejpal his family

Citing the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the business insights sharing portals, Tofler and ZaubaCorp have mentioned in their corporate intelligence reports that Tarun Tejpal-founded magazine ‘Tehelka’ and its parent publishing company, Anant Media Private Limited, are not profitable. Tehelka burdened with losses The magazine has historically operated at substantial financial losses, relying heavily on external equity investments from political figures, high-net-worth individuals, and real estate groups to fund its operations rather than generating operational profits. Anant Media Private Limited – revenues Financial Filings Status: According to Tracxn, Anant Media Private Limited last held an Annual General Meeting (AGM) and submitted audited financial balance sheets for the period ending March 31, 2019. Revenue Performance: As per information shared by the corporate analytics platform, Tehelka’s owning company’s annual operational revenues dropped significantly to under ₹10 crore in FY18, accompanied by negative operating margins. Who owns Tehelka? According to a report made after extensive research by the Indian journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress’ ex-MP, KD Singh’s Alchemist Group’s Royal Building and Infrastructure owned majority stake (about 65% stake) in Tehelka’s parent company, Anant Media Private Limited. While, Tejpal and his family owned about 23% stake in the firm. Who is KD Singh? KD Singh is an Indian businessman turned politician and former Member of Parliament (MP), Rajya Sabha who represented the All India Trinamool Congress. Tehelka founders: Tehelka was originally founded in 1999 as a digital news portal by journalists Tarun Tejpal and Aniruddha Bahal. Businesses owned by Tejpal family According to Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) registration data, Tarun Tejpal and his family members have owned equity or holding stakes in three main corporate ventures: Anant Media Private Limited (Tehelka) Incorporated: August 2003 Business Activity: Newspaper and periodical publishing. The Tejpal family had 23.25% shareholding stake in the company. Thinkworks Private Limited Purpose: Founded to host and monetize the annual high-profile “Think” conference in Goa. Ownership: Ministry filings indicated Tarun Tejpal held an 80% controlling stake. Thriving Arts Private Limited Incorporated: July 2013 Purpose: Established to run “Prufrock,” a private members-only social club located in Greater Kailash, New Delhi. Ownership: Tejpal held an 80% stake with an initial investment capital of ₹9 Lakh, according to media reports. Tarun Tejpal sexual assault case The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday convicted Tejpal in the 2013 alleged sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague. The case pertains to allegations made by a woman journalist, who had accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator back in 2013. Subsequently, Tejpal was arrested. The former Tehelka Editor has said he would move the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court’s latest judgment. He has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the 2013 rape case.