Tehelka Founder Tarun Tejpal Moves Supreme Court Against Conviction in Sexual Assault Case

Tehelka founder and former editor Tarun Tejpal has moved Supreme Court against his conviction in the 2013 sexual assault case. The appeal against the order of the Bombay High Court has been filed through advocate Aditya Samaddar. The Bombay High Court on August 6 convicted Tejpal in the rape case filed by a former colleague, setting aside the Goa sessions court's 2021 acquittal order and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10.21 lakh, directing that the entire amount be paid to the survivor, and, on his lawyer's request, extended Tejpal's surrender period from two weeks to four weeks. A division bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the High Court's Goa bench convicted Tejpal under Sections 376(2)(f), 354A and 354B of the Indian Penal Code. Earlier, the Goa government has also moved the Supreme Court by filing an appeal before it and sought enhancement of the 10-year jail sentence handed down to Tejpal. The state govt has urged the Supreme Court to increase the punishment, arguing that justice demands a stricter term for the serious offence. Tejpal was convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in 2013 during an event organised by the Tehelka magazine in Goa. The 62-year-old had claimed that he was a political victim.