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Former Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal (Img: Pinterest)
Panaji: On Thursday, the Bench of the High Court of Bombay at Goa convicted former Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case, setting aside an order of acquittal pronounced by a Sessions Court at Mapusa in 2021.
Justice Dr Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamsandekar, who constituted a division bench, allowed the government’s appeal and held Tejpal guilty of various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape and sexual harassment.
The hearing for sentence would be conducted separately.
The case concerns claims made against Tehelka by a junior colleague in November 2013. The complainant claimed that Tejpal had assaulted her in a hotel elevator while participating in an event in Goa.
In May 2021, the acquittal order was given by a Mapusa Sessions Court in favor of Tejpal due to the absence of corroborative evidence and benefit of the doubt.
Later, the Government of Goa appealed the acquittal order at the High Court on the grounds that the trial court had wrongfully examined the behavior of the victim rather than the claims made against the accused.
As the lawyer representing the State of Goa, Mr. Tushar Mehta said that the Sessions Court had concentrated more on the conduct and profile of the victim after the incident.
The state also put forward electronic documents as evidence, which include an apology mail by Mr. Tejpal after the issue came up inside the organization.
Mehta said that the judgment must send a clear message on the importance of consent where ‘No means No’.
While appearing in court, Tejpal appealed for leniency while being sentenced. The 62-year-old former editor said that he felt like a victim and asked the court to take into account his age and situation.
Tejpal’s counsel, Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda, sought leniency from the court while applying for stay of the conviction order to enable the appeal to be made to the Supreme Court.
Ponda further argued that the previous acquittal of his client was arrived at after a careful evaluation of the evidence.
The High Court has deferred this case for a sentence hearing. The judgement in its entirety is eagerly awaited.
This case which commenced well over a decade ago has had various legal proceedings including the acquittal in 2021 followed by the setting aside of the order in the Bombay High Court.
