The Goa government has approached the Supreme Court seeking life imprisonment for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, challenging the 10-year rigorous imprisonment awarded to him in the 2013 rape case. The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court had convicted Tarun Tejpal on August 6 and sentenced him to 10 years in prison in a 2013 rape case, overturning a previous judgement that acquitted him in 2021. The Goa government's plea argues that the 10-year sentence is "grossly disproportionate to the nature and gravity of the offences".The Bombay High Court had imposed the minimum sentence prescribed for rape, considering that the incident had already passed 13 years and Tejpal had no previous criminal record. The Bombay High Court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of more than ₹10 lakh."Both parties (the victim and Tejpal) may have moved on in life," the court said. The bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the HC's Goa bench initially said that Tejpal must surrender within two weeks, but as his lawyers sought more time, the High Court directed the 63-year-old journalist to surrender before the Goa Police within four weeks.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-cares-fund-balance-8452-crore-congress-questions-spending-1787052021764">PM CARES Fund balance rises to ₹8,452 crore as Congress questions spending</a><h2>What was the 2013 rape case?</h2>Tarun Tejpal, then editor-in-chief of Tehelka, was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague in an elevator at a luxury hotel during an event organised by the Magazine in Goa. He was arrested in November 2013 and released on bail in July 2014.&nbsp;The trial began in 2017 and lasted four years. The trial court acquitted him, citing shortcomings in evidence and the failure of the prosecution to produce crucial evidence, including CCTV footage. While the defence argued over the definition of the actions during the trial, the High Court's definitive ruling evaluated the evidence, including digital communication and timestamps, to establish that the acts legally constituted rape under the revised, expanded definitions of the law.&nbsp;The Goa Government challenged the decision before the Bombay High Court. The Court reversed the judgment on August 6 and convicted Tejpal. &nbsp;In its 81-page judgment, it described the earlier acquittal as "perverse". It criticised the defence's questioning over the behaviour and personal life of the survivor. The judges said that it was surprising how the trial court "remained silent and allowed the defence to harass and humiliate her during the cross-examination". The court convicted Tejpal under Section 376, rape committed by a person in a position of trust or authority; rape committed by a person in a position of control or dominance; Section 354, sexual harassment and assault using criminal force with intent to disrobe; and Sections 341 and 342, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement.<h2>Tejpal plans to challenge in Supreme Court</h2>Tarun Tejpal has confirmed his intention to challenge his conviction in the Supreme Court. He maintains that he is innocent and a "political victim". The latest plea by the Goa Government means the Supreme Court will now consider the State's request to increase the sentence to a lifetime conviction alongside Tejpal's challenge to his conviction.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Goa government has moved the Supreme Court seeking life imprisonment for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, challenging his 10-year sentence in the 2013 rape case.

The Goa government has approached the Supreme Court seeking life imprisonment for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, challenging the 10-year rigorous imprisonment awarded to him in the 2013 rape case. The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court had convicted Tarun Tejpal on August 6 and sentenced him to 10 years in prison in a 2013 rape case, overturning a previous judgement that acquitted him in 2021. The Goa government's plea argues that the 10-year sentence is "grossly disproportionate to the nature and gravity of the offences". The Bombay High Court had imposed the minimum sentence prescribed for rape, considering that the incident had already passed 13 years and Tejpal had no previous criminal record. The Bombay High Court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of more than ₹10 lakh. "Both parties (the victim and Tejpal) may have moved on in life," the court said. The bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the HC's Goa bench initially said that Tejpal must surrender within two weeks, but as his lawyers sought more time, the High Court directed the 63-year-old journalist to surrender before the Goa Police within four weeks. Also Read: PM CARES Fund balance rises to ₹8,452 crore as Congress questions spending What was the 2013 rape case? Tarun Tejpal, then editor-in-chief of Tehelka, was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague in an elevator at a luxury hotel during an event organised by the Magazine in Goa. He was arrested in November 2013 and released on bail in July 2014. The trial began in 2017 and lasted four years. The trial court acquitted him, citing shortcomings in evidence and the failure of the prosecution to produce crucial evidence, including CCTV footage. While the defence argued over the definition of the actions during the trial, the High Court's definitive ruling evaluated the evidence, including digital communication and timestamps, to establish that the acts legally constituted rape under the revised, expanded definitions of the law. The Goa Government challenged the decision before the Bombay High Court. The Court reversed the judgment on August 6 and convicted Tejpal. In its 81-page judgment, it described the earlier acquittal as "perverse". It criticised the defence's questioning over the behaviour and personal life of the survivor. The judges said that it was surprising how the trial court "remained silent and allowed the defence to harass and humiliate her during the cross-examination". The court convicted Tejpal under Section 376, rape committed by a person in a position of trust or authority; rape committed by a person in a position of control or dominance; Section 354, sexual harassment and assault using criminal force with intent to disrobe; and Sections 341 and 342, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement. Tejpal plans to challenge in Supreme Court Tarun Tejpal has confirmed his intention to challenge his conviction in the Supreme Court. He maintains that he is innocent and a "political victim". The latest plea by the Goa Government means the Supreme Court will now consider the State's request to increase the sentence to a lifetime conviction alongside Tejpal's challenge to his conviction.

The Goa government has moved the Supreme Court seeking life imprisonment for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, challenging his 10-year sentence in the 2013 rape case.

Goa seeks life term for Tarun Tejpal, challenges 10-year rape sentence

Former Samata Party president&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Jaya%20Jaitly">Jaya Jaitly</a>&nbsp;has entailed her reasons for enclosing a letter, written by Congress President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Sonia%20Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbsp;to former finance minister P. Chidambaram, in her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=memoir">memoir</a>&nbsp;due to be released on Tuesday, and hinted that the UPA-led government in 2004, and particularly Gandhi was involved in facilitating the framing of corruption charges against her.

The author has made these claims in her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=memoir">memoir</a>, &#39;Life Among the Scorpions: Memoirs of an Indian Woman in Public Life&#39;. The book hints at the links between Gandhi and the Tehelka news portal, particularly in the Tehelka sting &#39;Operation Westend.&#39;

&quot;I included the letter in my book to show the truth behind accusations against me that I met with wrong people and assured them of my help in exchange for money. The wrong people were fake. Neither did I give them any assurances, nor asked and received any money. I have been going to court for nine years for the wrong allegations,&quot; Jaitly .

Jaitly referred to the ongoing nine-year-long corruption case against her, wherein the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet alleging that she had accepted a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in 2001. She was alleged to have accepted the money in exchange for persuading former defence minister George Fernandes to award the contract of hand-held thermal imagers to a company named West End International.

The case was registered on the basis of a sting, &#39;Operation Westend,&#39; conducted by news portal Tehelka in 2000, purportedly exposing alleged corruption in defence deals.

There are, in total, three letters enclosed in the book. They are - a letter by Tehelka directors and a letter by Tehelka Financiers - First Global Directors addressed to Gandhi and the third letter from Gandhi to Chidambaram on behalf of Tehelka and its financiers. The book further hints that Sonia tried to convince Chidambaram to shield the Tehelka financiers.

&quot;I positioned the letter in such a way to show that a letter was written to someone who is even above the prime minister, who then wrote to the finance minister relating their problem, and immediately the problem was solved. This is the reality unlike the allegations against me which are fake,&quot; Jaitly said, and added, &quot;to save a person, who paid Tehelka to conduct a sting operation, there must be some connection.&quot;

The letter was written merely months after the UPA formed the government, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Sonia%20Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbsp;declined the post of the prime minister, which was passed on to Dr Manmohan Singh.

&quot;Without having any official post in the government,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Sonia%20Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbsp;writing letter to the finance minister shows how much power she held,&quot; Jaitly said, and added, &quot;Unlike the usual delay in official matters, an action was taken within five days. They were so energetic. Was this the only work they had after coming in the Centre?&quot;

Meanwhile, Congress leader Manish Tewari reacted to the entire controversy and said &quot;Tehelka&quot; was targeted by the NDA-BJP government for exposing the dirty dealings of their associates.

&quot;In 2001, a news portal called Tehelka carried out a sting, in which they exposed the dirty dealings of a number of eminences associated with the NDA-BJP government, including the then BJP President Bangaru Laxman. He was caught on candid camera taking money for allegedly doing favours in a defence deal. Subsequently, the NDA-BJP govt came down like a tonne of bricks on that news portal,&quot; Tewari claimed.

The former Union Minister alleged that the news portal was hounded by the NDA government, due to which the UPA government was forced to intervene.

&quot;It was the classical case of shooting the messenger rather than listening to the message. Exactly in the manner in which today the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income-Tax department is being abused by this government against its political opponents. In fact, a commissioner inquiry was constituted that got nowhere and on the other hand, a news organisation which had done its legitimate duty was hounded to the ground. Under those circumstances, an intervention with the right intent for the freedom of speech and expression was done at that point of time to ensure that vendetta and witch hunt comes to an end,&quot; Tewari said.&nbsp;

The accusation is made in her memoir 'Life Among the Scorpions: Memoirs of an Indian Woman in Public Life', due to be released today

Former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly has entailed her reasons for enclosing a letter, written by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to former finance minister P. Chidambaram, in her memoir due to be released on Tuesday, and hinted that the UPA-led government in 2004, and particularly Gandhi was involved in facilitating the framing of corruption charges against her. The author has made these claims in her memoir, 'Life Among the Scorpions: Memoirs of an Indian Woman in Public Life'. The book hints at the links between Gandhi and the Tehelka news portal, particularly in the Tehelka sting 'Operation Westend.' "I included the letter in my book to show the truth behind accusations against me that I met with wrong people and assured them of my help in exchange for money. The wrong people were fake. Neither did I give them any assurances, nor asked and received any money. I have been going to court for nine years for the wrong allegations," Jaitly . Jaitly referred to the ongoing nine-year-long corruption case against her, wherein the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet alleging that she had accepted a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in 2001. She was alleged to have accepted the money in exchange for persuading former defence minister George Fernandes to award the contract of hand-held thermal imagers to a company named West End International. The case was registered on the basis of a sting, 'Operation Westend,' conducted by news portal Tehelka in 2000, purportedly exposing alleged corruption in defence deals. There are, in total, three letters enclosed in the book. They are - a letter by Tehelka directors and a letter by Tehelka Financiers - First Global Directors addressed to Gandhi and the third letter from Gandhi to Chidambaram on behalf of Tehelka and its financiers. The book further hints that Sonia tried to convince Chidambaram to shield the Tehelka financiers. "I positioned the letter in such a way to show that a letter was written to someone who is even above the prime minister, who then wrote to the finance minister relating their problem, and immediately the problem was solved. This is the reality unlike the allegations against me which are fake," Jaitly said, and added, "to save a person, who paid Tehelka to conduct a sting operation, there must be some connection." The letter was written merely months after the UPA formed the government, and Sonia Gandhi declined the post of the prime minister, which was passed on to Dr Manmohan Singh. "Without having any official post in the government, Sonia Gandhi writing letter to the finance minister shows how much power she held," Jaitly said, and added, "Unlike the usual delay in official matters, an action was taken within five days. They were so energetic. Was this the only work they had after coming in the Centre?" Meanwhile, Congress leader Manish Tewari reacted to the entire controversy and said "Tehelka" was targeted by the NDA-BJP government for exposing the dirty dealings of their associates. "In 2001, a news portal called Tehelka carried out a sting, in which they exposed the dirty dealings of a number of eminences associated with the NDA-BJP government, including the then BJP President Bangaru Laxman. He was caught on candid camera taking money for allegedly doing favours in a defence deal. Subsequently, the NDA-BJP govt came down like a tonne of bricks on that news portal," Tewari claimed. The former Union Minister alleged that the news portal was hounded by the NDA government, due to which the UPA government was forced to intervene. "It was the classical case of shooting the messenger rather than listening to the message. Exactly in the manner in which today the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income-Tax department is being abused by this government against its political opponents. In fact, a commissioner inquiry was constituted that got nowhere and on the other hand, a news organisation which had done its legitimate duty was hounded to the ground. Under those circumstances, an intervention with the right intent for the freedom of speech and expression was done at that point of time to ensure that vendetta and witch hunt comes to an end," Tewari said.

Jaya Jaitly says Sonia Gandhi facilitated framing of corruption charges against her

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