Former Tehelka editor and founder Tarun Tejpal was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment by the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court after being convicted in the 2013 sexual assault case filed by his former junior colleague. The sentencing came hours after the High Court overturned his 2021 acquittal by a Goa sessions court, holding him guilty of rape and outraging the modesty of a woman.
The verdict marks a major development in a case that has remained in the spotlight for nearly 13 years. The High Court allowed the Goa government's appeal against the trial court's judgment, which had acquitted Tejpal on the ground that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The case stems from allegations made by a woman journalist, who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in Goa on November 7 and 8, 2013, during an event organised by Tehelka. Tejpal was arrested later that month and subsequently charged under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, sexual harassment and wrongful confinement.
In September 2017, a Goa court framed charges against Tejpal, who pleaded not guilty. He later approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charges, but the apex court refused and directed that the trial be concluded expeditiously.
In May 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal, citing the absence of medical evidence and relying on messages exchanged between the complainant and the accused. The Goa government challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, arguing that the trial court had failed to properly appreciate the evidence and had committed serious legal errors.
Following Thursday's sentencing, Tejpal maintained that he was innocent and announced that he would challenge the High Court's verdict before the Supreme Court. Alleging political vendetta, he claimed that he had been targeted for over a decade because of Tehelka's investigative journalism and expressed confidence that he would eventually be acquitted.
Former Goa Police investigation officer Sunita Sawant welcomed the High Court's decision, saying the trial court's judgment was "perverse" and that the evidence collected during the investigation had always supported the prosecution's case. She said the High Court had carefully examined the flaws in the earlier verdict before setting aside the acquittal.
The conviction and sentencing are expected to bring the long-running legal battle into its next phase, with Tejpal set to move the Supreme Court against the High Court's order.
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