Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: The Bombay High Court’s Goa bench has convicted former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 rape case and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a ₹5 lakh fine.
The division bench of Justices Dr Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar overturned the 2021 decision of the Goa trial court, which had acquitted Tejpal of all charges. The High Court held him guilty under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to rape and sexual harassment.
The court has granted Tejpal two weeks’ time to surrender before the authorities. The detailed reasoning behind the verdict will be available once the court releases the full order.
The matter relates to allegations made in November 2013 by a former Tehelka colleague, who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside an elevator at a Goa resort during the magazine’s ThinkFest event.
Tejpal was present during the pronouncement of the judgment and requested leniency, citing his age and personal circumstances. His lawyer, senior advocate Aabad Ponda, sought a temporary suspension of the order to allow him to approach the Supreme Court.
Ponda argued that the case was more than a decade old and highlighted that Tejpal had already spent time in custody. He also maintained that the defence intended to challenge the High Court verdict before the apex court.
Representing the Goa government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the plea for leniency, arguing that the accused held a position of influence and trust. He submitted that the verdict should reinforce the message that consent must be respected.
The High Court hearing examined whether the trial court had correctly assessed the evidence while granting acquittal in 2021. Arguments also focused on Tejpal’s apology email sent after the complaint was raised and its relevance to the case.
Tejpal’s defence had argued that the email could not be treated as an admission of guilt and questioned the interpretation of events following the alleged incident.
Tejpal was arrested in November 2013 and later granted bail by the Supreme Court. The trial commenced in 2017, and after his acquittal by the Goa sessions court in 2021, the state government filed an appeal before the High Court.
The High Court verdict brings a significant turn in a case that remained under public and legal scrutiny for over a decade.
