Rape convict Tarun Tejpal surrenders in Goa, vows to take fight to Supreme Court

Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before Goa Police, weeks after the Bombay High Court convicted him in a 2013 rape case and sentenced him to 10 years. The Supreme Court had directed the 62-year-old journalist to surrender within two weeks.

In Short

• Tarun Tejpal surrendered before Goa Police, was taken to Colvale jail
• Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal in 2013 rape case, sentenced him to 10 years
• SC ordered Tejpal to surrender in 2 weeks before appeal to challenge conviction

Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before Goa Police on Monday and was taken to Colvale jail, weeks after the Bombay High Court convicted him in a 2013 rape case and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The development came after the Supreme Court on August 25 directed the 62-year-old journalist to surrender within two weeks before his appeal against the conviction could be heard. The court rejected his plea for urgent relief and said his appeal would be considered after he filed a surrender certificate.

Tejpal surrendered before the Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa, after which he was sent to Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa to begin serving his 10-year sentence.

As he was leaving the court premises, Tejpal said he would continue his legal battle in the Supreme Court. “We will once again approach the Supreme Court against the court’s decision. We are confident that we will get justice from the Supreme Court,” he said.

The Supreme Court listed his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence for hearing on September 22, subject to the filing of the surrender certificate.

On August 6, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court overturned Tejpal’s 2021 acquittal by a sessions court and convicted him of raping a junior colleague in a hotel elevator at a resort in November 2013. The court sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment, with the sentences for the various offences to run concurrently.

The High Court had initially given Tejpal four weeks to surrender, allowing him time to pursue his legal remedy in the Supreme Court. On August 20, Tejpal moved the Supreme Court challenging the August 6 order of the High Court against his conviction in the case.

The Goa government has also approached the Supreme Court, seeking enhancement of Tejpal’s sentence to life imprisonment, though it has not challenged the High Court’s finding of guilt.

WHAT IS THE CASE AGAINST TEJPAL?

The case dates back to November 2013, when a former Tehelka employee accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside an elevator at a five-star hotel-cum-resort in Goa’s Bambolim during the magazine’s annual ThinkFest event.

Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013, and was granted bail by the Supreme Court less than a year later. The trial began before a Goa sessions court in 2017.

In 2021, the sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, prompting the Goa government to challenge the verdict before the Bombay High Court.

After prolonged hearings, the Bombay High Court’s Goa bench, comprising Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar, overturned the acquittal on August 6 and convicted Tejpal of rape and sexual harassment.

The court sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines under the rape provisions and other offences. As the sentences are to run concurrently, the maximum prison term is 10 years.

Tejpal was present in court when the High Court pronounced the verdict on August 6 and pleaded for leniency, citing his age, family and the time he had already spent in jail.

“I am 62, and I believe I am a victim. I have a wife, and that’s not much else to say. All that I can say is we can go and appeal. Please be lenient with me,” he told the court.

Following the verdict, Tejpal also described himself as a “political victim” and said he would appeal against the conviction.

- Ends
(with inputs from Ritesh Desai and PTI)