2013 Tehelka rape case: SC refuses to suspend Tarun Tejpal's 10-year jail term

Tejpal had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court's August 6 judgment

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to suspend the 10-year prison sentence of former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa in November 2013. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale dismissed Tejpal's application after considering the evidence, including his emails and messages. The bench was of the view that no case had been made out for suspending his sentence, according to Live Law. Tejpal had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court's August 6 judgment, which overturned his acquittal by a trial court in 2021 and convicted him in the case.

What Tejpal argued Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, questioned the victim's account of the incident, particularly her claim that the elevator doors did not open during the alleged assault. Sibal argued that technical evidence showed the elevator doors opened twice during the two minutes and nine seconds in which the alleged incident took place. He said the hotel manager and Mitsubishi staff had testified that the lift doors opened automatically at every floor and could not be kept shut by pressing the buttons. He also questioned the investigation, alleging that the investigating officer failed to seize CCTV footage that could have established whether the elevator doors had opened. Tejpal's lawyers further argued that the victim had given six versions of the incident before the FIR was registered on November 22, 2013, and that none of them mentioned rape or oral penetration. They also stressed that Tejpal had remained on bail during the trial and had not misused his liberty.

Goa government opposes relief Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, opposed the plea and referred to messages and an apology email sent by Tejpal to the victim after the incident. Sibal countered that the apology had been drafted by then Tehelka editor Shoma Chaudhary and claimed it referred to a conversation between Tejpal and the woman, not an admission of rape. The case relates to allegations that Tejpal sexually assaulted a junior colleague inside an elevator at a luxury hotel during a Tehelka event in Goa in November 2013. A Goa trial court acquitted him in 2021. However, the Bombay High Court's Goa bench overturned the acquittal on August 6, 2026, convicted him of rape and other offences, and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment.