TEJPAL CASE: HC ALLOWS FRAMING OF CHARGES
PANAJI: The Bombay bench of Goa high court on Tuesday refused to stay the framing of charges against former Tehelka magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in an alleged rape case. The matter was put before the high court after a petition was moved by Tejpal challenging the Mapusa xourt’s order directing framing of charges. The high court also said that it will hear Tejpal before deciding on the first witness appearance during the trial and has asked to hold the trial till it directs otherwise.
PANAJI: The Goa bench of the Bombay high court on Tuesday refused to put on hold the framing of charges against former editorin-chief of Tehelka magazine, Tarun Tejpal, who is accused of raping a female colleague in 2013.
The high court was responding to a petition from the accused challenging an order passed by the Mapusa district court on September 7, asking the police to proceed with framing of charges against the embattled journalist.
Tejpal had sought a stay on framing of charges against him until the high court has decided his plea on dropping the charges.
The high court said it will hear the accused before the first witness appearance at the trial and ordered a stay on the proceedings until further notice.
The court will next hear the arguments on November 1.
Earlier in June, the Mapusa additional district and sessions court had passed an order restricting the media houses from covering the proceedings until the completion of the trial.
A junior female colleague of Tejpal had accused him of sexually assaulting her in the elevator of a five-star hotel during an event in Goa in November 2013.
Tejpal had to step down from his post of editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine after an FIR was filed against him.
He had proclaimed in his primary appeal that the allegation levelled against him was false.
Tejpal is facing charges under IPC Sections 376 (rape), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 354-B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman). His lawyer Pramod Dubey, however, told reporters that Section 376 (rape) had been dropped from the list of charges.