Tarun Tejpal, Tehelka founder, gets 10-year jail for raping colleague in 2013

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Mumbai: The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday sentenced former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to 10 years’ jail in a sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague in 2013.

Earlier, the court convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague. The Bombay High Court’s Goa bench delivered the verdict on the Goa government’s appeal challenging Tejpal’s acquittal by the Goa Sessions Court in 2021.

The case pertains to allegations made by a female journalist who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8, 2013. Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013, on those charges.

On September 29, 2017, the court charged him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. However, he pleaded not guilty. Following the framing of charges, Tejpal moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charges levelled against him. The top court refused to quash the charges and directed that the trial be concluded within six months.

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In May 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court noted the absence of medical evidence and relied on messages exchanged between the complainant and Tejpal, concluding that they did not support the claim that she had been traumatized by the alleged assault.

The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, seeking to set aside the trial court’s judgment.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the quantum being announced by the High Court Tejpal said he would seek relief from the Supreme Court and alleged that he was a victim of political vendetta.

Also Read: Ex-Tehelka Editor, Tarun Tejpal Convicted Of Raping Junior Colleague In 2013 Sexual Assault Case

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