Tarun Tejpal sexual assault case: Senior journalist and former editor of Tehelka Tarun Tejpal was on May 21 acquitted by a Goa court in a case of alleged rape from November 2013. He had been accused by a female colleague of sexual harassment at a resort elevator in Goa. He was arrested by state police but made bail in 2014 and had been out of jail since.
Thanking the court for an "impartial and fair trial," Tejpal said in a statement post-verdict, "The past seven-and-a-half years have been traumatic for my family as we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives."
Things To Know About The Verdict In Tarun Tejpal Sexual Assault Case
1. Tejpal's case had been ongoing since 2013, the year a reporting colleague accused him of sexual misconduct in the elevator. After her allegations went public, Tejpal apologised to her in an email statement and stepped down from his role at Tehelka. That same year, he was arrested and the Supreme Court, in 2019, directed the Goa court to complete trial in six months. He was being tried under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), namely 341, 342, 354 and 354A.
2. After multiple delays, the court, presided over by Judge Kshama Joshi, pronounced its verdict on May 21, acquitting him of all charges. He thanked her "for standing by the truth." A full timeline of the Tarun Tejpal sexual assault case.
3. Ever since it came to light, Tejpal's case has been under high media glare in light of India's #MeToo movement within the journalism industry that threw up several other names in the years following allegations against the Tehelka founder. More about it here.
4. "In 2013, I was falsely accused of sexual assault by a colleague," Tejpal's Statement from the Tejpal family: pic.twitter.com/A48jgednyS
— Smita (@smitagnair) May 21, 2021 reads. He invoked the court's "thorough examination of the CCTV footage and other empirical materials on record."
5. Social media reaction to Tejpal's verdict is wide-ranged. Many have circled the date on Tejpal's statement, pointing out it was dated May 19, the earlier date on which his judgment was set to be pronounced.
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