Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrenders before Goa court, sent to jail

Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before Goa's Mapusa court on Monday (Sep 14) after the Bombay High Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a junior colleague in a hotel lift in Goa in 2013. Tejpal had challenged the high court’s verdict in the Supreme Court, which directed him to surrender within two weeks. The high court’s ruling on August 6 overturned his acquittal by a Goa sessions court in 2021 and convicted him of the offence.

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A Goa sessions court acquitted him of all charges in May 2021, saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The Goa government challenged that decision before the Bombay High Court, which later overturned the acquittal and imposed a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence. The bench pronounced Tejpal guilty of the offences of rape and sexual harassment under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k), along with Sections 354A, 354B of the Indian Penal Code. Tejpal approached the Supreme Court through advocate Aditya Samaddar.

Also Read: SC directs Tarun Tejpal to surrender within two weeks, rejects exemption plea in 2013 rape case