Bombay High Court Convicts Tarun Tejpal of Rape

The Bombay high court convicted Tarun Tejpal of rape and outraging modesty.

PANAJI: Thirteen years after the arrest of former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in connection with the alleged rape of a junior colleague in an elevator at a starred hotel in Goa, the Bombay high court on Thursday found him guilty of rape. The state had challenged Tejpal's acquittal by the trial court in 2021. After pronouncing him guilty, senior advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Tejpal, told the court that his client is now a 62-year-old senior citizen and that the case is 13 years old. He sought leniency and requested a stay on the high court's order to enable Tejpal to appeal the verdict before the Supreme Court.

Addressing the bench, Tejpal said he was a "political victim", adding that he is 62 years old and the father of two daughters. He also sought a lenient sentence. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, however, sought the maximum sentence for Tejpal. He urged the court to consider that Tejpal was old enough to be in a parental position vis-à-vis the survivor and argued that the sentence should set a precedent and have a strong deterrent effect. Mehta argued that the incident was "not some misunderstanding or banter" and said Tejpal showed no remorse after the alleged assault. Instead, he allegedly repeated the act the following day and acted brazenly despite the survivor's resistance and repeated refusals. He further argued that the survivor's mature conduct after the incident had been wrongly portrayed as that of someone who had enjoyed the molestation. "It is high time the highest constitutional court of the state gives him the maximum sentence. No means no. You may be whosoever you are, but when a girl says no, it means no. That deterrent message may be considered," Mehta told the court while arguing for the maximum sentence. The case relates to allegations made by a junior colleague who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator during the Tehelka THiNK Fest in Goa on November 7 and 8, 2013. Tejpal was arrested later that month, and a trial court framed charges against him in 2017 under various provisions of the IPC, including rape, sexual harassment and wrongful confinement. In May 2021, a Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The Goa government challenged the acquittal, and the Bombay high court admitted the state's appeal in April 2022 before delivering Thursday's verdict convicting him.