Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The Bombay High court at Goa today adjourned the hearing on the appeal filed by the Goa government challenging journalist Tarun Tejpal recent acquittal in the 2013 alleged sexual assault case.
While adjourning the matter to July 29, the division bench granted leave to state government to make further amendments in the appeal memo, as sought by the petitioner, within a period of one week.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of the respondent sought copy of the amended petition filed by the State, to which Court directed Govt to submit the same within one week.
The High Court had earlier this month issued notice to Tejpal in the petition challenging his acquittal by the Trial Court.
The State Government had moved High Court challenging the trial court order dated May 21, to acquit Tejpal in the sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague. The incident reportedly took place in November 2013.
In its amended grounds for appeal that run into 66 pages, the Goa government has cited 84 reasons explaining how the trial court verdict is “unsustainable in law”.
The State stated that the judgment delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi “has been influenced by extraneous inadmissible materials and testimonies, graphic details of the past sexual history of the victim, prohibited by law and has used the same for purposes of censuring her character and discrediting her evidence”.
The State also pointed out that the “demeaning and humiliating manner” in which the trial court’s judgment placed reliance on the minutiae of the happenings inside the lift “displays an attitudinal and perceptional bias” against the woman and it “tended to demoralise” her,”.
The government has also stated that the trial court was “pedantic, illogical and harsh” in considering the statement of the woman.
