Supreme Court Dismisses Tarun Tejpal's Plea in Rape Case, Asks Him to Surrender in Two Weeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25) dismissed journalist and former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal’s plea seeking exemption from surrendering after the Bombay high court convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years in jail in a 2013 case, on charges of rape, sexual harassment and use of criminal force against a woman, who was his junior colleague at the time.

A bench of Justice Alok Aradhe, instead, directed Tejpal to surrender within two weeks. The bench listed his appeal challenging his conviction and sentence for another hearing on September 22, subject to filing of the surrender certificate.

The high court’s Goa bench had on August 6 convicted the 62-year-old journalist, overturning the judgement of a sessions court in Mapusa five years ago, which had acquitted the Tehelka magazine’s former editor-in-chief.

Senior advocate Aabad Ponda had asked the bench to be lenient because the offence is 13 years old.

Tejpal also claimed that he was a political victim.

However, Tejpal was found guilty of the offences of rape and sexual harassment under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k), along with Sections 354A and 354B of the Indian Penal Code. 

The junior journalist had accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her in a hotel elevator on November 7 and November 8, 2013, during an event organised by the magazine in Goa. 

Per news reports, the sessions court acquitted Tejpal, saying the complainant “did not demonstrate any kind of normative behaviour” a victim of sexual assault “might plausibly show”.

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