Journalist Tarun Tejpal Acquitted In Sexual Assault Case: A Timeline Of Events

Tarun Tejpal case timeline: A Goa court acquitted Tarun Tejpal, the founder of Tehelka magazine and prominent journalist, on Friday, in a case of sexual assault from 2013. The order comes after a power outage in the state deferred the date of Tejpal's verdict from May 19 to May 21.

A colleague of Tejpal had made allegations of rape in November 2013 leading to his arrest the same month. Tejpal was granted bail in 2014 and he had been out ever since. 

"It is with profound respect that I thank this court for its rigorous, impartial and fair trial and for its thorough examination of CCTV footage and other empirical material on record," his daughter Cara said post the verdict on his behalf. "...we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives."

The Tejpal family has requested privacy as they "try and reclaim our broken lives."

Tarun Tejpal Case Timeline: All You Need To Know

1. In November 2013, a female reporter accused Tejpal of assaulting her in a hotel elevator in Goa during an event. She reportedly informed seniors at Tehelka about the same, following which the allegations became public knowledge.

2. In an email to the survivor, Tejpal reportedly wrote, "I apologise unconditionally for the shameful lapse of judgment 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." Admitting to "misconduct," Tejpal offered to step down from his role as editor of the investigative magazine he had founded. He dubbed the leave "penance" for his actions.

3. A hefty 2800-page charge sheet was presented by the Crime Branch before a Goa court. It included statements from several witnesses and other women, leading to his arrest in November.

4. In 2014, the Supreme Court granted bail to the senior journalist who has been out of jail since.

5. After a gap of three years, in 2017, Tejpal's trial began. The charges against him, as observed by the Bombay High Court in Goa, included rape and sexual harassment.

6. Tejpal had contested said charges and put forward an appeal in the Supreme Court to quash them, claiming CCTV footage supported his appeal. In 2019, his appeal was rejected and the apex court directed the Goa court to complete trial in six months.

7. Trial was stalled between 2019 and 2020 on account of the coronavirus pandemic. The date of verdict in Tejpal's case was set for April 27. The date was pushed multiple times, first to May 12, then May 19 and finally May 21.

8. On May 21, Tejpal was acquitted of all charges. "The past seven-and-a-half years have been traumatic for my family," his statement, read by his daughter, said. Tejpal thanked his lawyer Rajiv Gomes, who died on COVID-19.

9. In the aftermath of the verdict, social media is abuzz with talk of Tejpal with a refocused glare on the #MeToo movement within India's media industry. Many are invoking the Priya Ramani-MJ Akbar case in this regard.

10. Tejpal founded Tehelka, an investigative journalism platform known for sting operations, in 2000. He has previously worked with Indian Express and India Today. He is married to Geetan Batra and the couple has two daughters.