In 2013, a young woman who worked with Tarun Tejpal accused him of sexually assaulting her in an elevator of a five-star hotel in Goa. Tejpal was arrested on 30 November 2013.
Tehelka magazine’s former editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has been acquitted in a rape case by the Goa Sessions Court after seven and a half years. Tejpal was accused by a female employee of Tehelka magazine of sexually assaulting her in an elevator of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Goa in 2013.
The hearing of the case was going on in the sessions court of Mapusa in Goa. Additional Judge Kshama Joshi reserved the judgment last month in this seven and a half-year-old case. At Tejpal’s request, the case was heard in a closed room. The Goa Police was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Francisco Tavora in this case, while lawyers Rajeev Gomes and Aamir Khan fought Tejpal’s case in court.
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Breaking: Journalist Tarun Tejpal acquitted in Rape Case pic.twitter.com/muTzruhThg
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 21, 2021
Shortly after, Tejpal in a statement welcomed the verdict. “In November 2013 I was falsely accused of sexual assault by a colleague. Today the Hon’ble Trial Court of Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, in Goa, has honourably acquitted me. In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her for standing by the truth,” Tejpal said.
The decision was postponed 3 times before
The court was scheduled to pronounce the verdict on April 27 in the rape case against Tejpal, but the decision was adjourned till May 12 by Judge Kshama Joshi. Then on 12 May, the decision was deferred till 19 May. After this, postponed the verdict to May 21. At the time of deferring the verdict, the court cited a shortage of staff due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
What is the case?
In 2013, a young woman who worked with Tejpal accused him of sexually assaulting her in an elevator of a five-star hotel in Goa. Tejpal was arrested on 30 November 2013. Earlier, he had also appealed for anticipatory bail, but the court refused to grant him any relief. Tejpal has been out on bail since May 2014.
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