TEJPAL ACQUITTED OF RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
PANAJI: A fast-track court in Goa on Friday acquitted Tarun Tejpal, 57, the former editor of Tehelka magazine, of charges of rape and sexual assault levelled by a former colleague in Goa in 2013. Tejpal maintained he was falsely accused of sexual assault while the special public prosecutor said that the state was likely to file an appeal. “In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her (the judge) for standing by the truth,” Tejpal said after the verdict.
NEW DELHI: A fast-track court in Goa on Friday acquitted Tarun Tejpal, 57, the former editor of Tehelka magazine, of charges of rape and sexual assault levelled by a former colleague during a conference at a five-star hotel in Goa in 2013.
The case hit the headlines for weeks amid a renewed focus on crimes against women. It surfaced a year after the rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in Delhi provoked national outrage, and prompted the government to pass tougher laws to check such crimes.
The allegations against Tejpal also triggered a debate on harassment of women at workplaces, and underreporting of such cases over fears of job losses and persecution.
Tejpal faced the trial under India Penal Code’s Sections 376 (rape), 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 342 (wrongful confinement).
Additional sessions judge Kshama Joshi acquitted Tejpal, days after his lawyer Rajeev Gomes, 47, died of Covid-19 on May 12.
Tejpal maintained he was falsely accused of sexual assault, while Francisco Távora, the special public prosecutor in the case, called the judgement a serious setback, and said that the state was likely to file an appeal.
“[We] will be going through the reasons assigned by the judge. We are seriously aggrieved and that is why we will be preferring an appeal against it,” Távora said.
Tejpal said after the verdict the past seven-and-a-half years have been traumatic for his family. “In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her [the judge] for standing by the truth,” he said in a prepared statement. “...we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional, and public lives,” he added.
Tejpal also said they felt the “boot of the state” but cooperated fully with the Goa Police and the legal system through hundreds of court proceedings. He thanked the court for “its rigorous impartial and fair trial” .
In his statement following his acquittal, Tejpal said his family’s privacy should be respected. “I will make a comprehensive statement at an appropriate time in the future.”
Távora blamed Tejpal’s attempts to get himself discharged in the case among the reasons for the delay in the trial. “The accused wanted discharge in the case and went up to the Supreme Court and got a stay. That is why the trial was stopped for a while for two years. Then it was resumed in 2019. Since August 2019, it has been going on. Since September 2020, it has been going on a day-to-day basis.”
The trial in the case began in September 2017.