Tarun Tejpal verdict: In the eight-year-old trial of the Tehelka founder and editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal, he has been acquitted of rape charges by a court in Goa today.
The former editor-in-chief was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague in 2013. The incident took place in a star hotel in North Goa.
Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi announced the judgement. Tejpal in a statement released after the judgement thanked all the lawyers who represented him in the case, including Advocate Rajeev Gomes who succumbed to COVID-19.
Tejpal was tried under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (sexual harassment), 354A.
Tejpal was accused of forcing himself on the woman inside an elevator of the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa on November 7 and 8, 2013. The woman journalist who worked with Tejpal had alleged that he had sexually assaulted her when they both were in Goa for an event. He had, however, “pleaded not guilty", following which a case was registered in court. He was later arrested on November 30, 2013.
After the accusations in 2013, the next day, in a long email, Tejpal sent a formal apology to the woman in which he had said, "I apologise unconditionally for the shameful lapse of judgement that led me to attempt a sexual liaison with you on two occasions on November 7 and November 8 2013, despite your clear reluctance that you did not want such attention from me."
In 2017, the trial court had charged him with rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. Tejpal challenged the charges in the Supreme Court, which had ordered the trial in Goa to continue. Read what happened so far
On her father's behalf, Tejpal's daughter Cara Tejpal in a statement had said he was "falsely accused" of sexual assault. He also had claimed that the past few years have been "traumatic" for his family as they have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these "false allegations" on every aspect of their lives.
Following the verdict, Tejpal said, “I thank this court for its rigorous and impartial trial. 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.”
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