WASHINGTON, June 25: In a case that had taken on racist overtones, a conservative American magazine has abjectly apologised to Indian spiritual health guru Deepak Chopra and settled a $ 35-million libel suit after having called him a ``Hindu televangelist'' and alleging his company's herbal remedies had bug parts and rodent hair.

In its latest issue, The Weekly Standard, owned by Rupert Murdoch, apologised for publishing a ``false'' and ``misleading'' article on Dr Chopra in a cover story titled `Leader of Deepak' last summer.The story had also alleged that Dr Chopra had consorted with a prostitute and mocked the brand of spiritual health and healing he teaches.

``We regret any harm that may have been done to Dr Chopra's reputation... Upon further examination of Dr Chopra's teachings and writings, we now believe that the general tone of our article was unfair to Dr Chopra,'' the magazine said in its apology.

The episode had taken racist undertones with Chopra groupies alleging that the attack from the conservative bastion stemmed from envy at the success of a teacher from the East.

``We believe that Dr Chopra is sincere and forthright in his teachings... our use of terms like `huckster' and `Hindu televangelist' were inappropriate and unjust,'' the magazine said.

Dr Chopra, a former physician, is now a California-based spiritual guru whose multi-million dollar empire is built on a lucrative lecture circuit, television appearances and several best-seller books like Seven Spiritual Laws to Success and Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. He counts the country's high and mighty and Hollywood celebrities among his clientele.

According to media circles, the Standard decided to settle the suit out- of-court after a prostitute quoted in the story retracted her claim that Chopra visited her three times in 1991. Dr Chopra's attorney's said he was in India at the time the prostitute claimed he visited her.

The magazine's apology said it was now convinced that American Express receipts purporting to show that Dr Chopra had visited the prostitute were forged.

Dr Chopra is known to be a fiercely combative person who does not allow unfounded media bashing to go unchallenged.

In a recent letter to the New York Times about his propensity for filing lawsuits, he said the legal system gives him ``the right to seek redress from those who break the law by maliciously vilifying me because they feel threatened by my philosophy or popularity''.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.