An Indian court has convicted former Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal of raping a former colleague, overturning his acquittal in a decade-old case.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court found Tejpal guilty under provisions of Indian law relating to rape and sexual harassment, according to legal website LiveLaw.
Tejpal, who has consistently denied the allegations, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. The court is expected to sentence him later on Thursday.
He can appeal the conviction before a higher court.
The case dates back to November 2013, when a former Tehelka employee accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her during the magazine’s high-profile international conference in Goa. The conference was attended by several prominent figures, including Hollywood actor Robert De Niro.
The allegations against Tejpal, then one of India’s most prominent magazine editors, triggered widespread national attention amid heightened public concern over sexual violence following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman in Delhi.
Tejpal initially described the incident as “a lapse of judgement” and “a misreading of the situation”, saying it had resulted in an “unfortunate incident.”
As the case progressed, however, he denied wrongdoing and urged authorities to examine CCTV footage, arguing that it would establish what had happened. He also alleged that the case was part of a political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Goa.
Tejpal was arrested in 2013 and spent seven months in custody before the Supreme Court granted him bail.
In 2021, a sessions court in Goa acquitted him of all charges. The judge’s 527-page ruling subsequently drew criticism, particularly for its comments about the behaviour and appearance of the woman who made the allegations.
The Goa government appealed the acquittal, leading to the proceedings before the Bombay High Court.
During the appeal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, urged the court to impose the maximum sentence following a conviction.
“This court must give a clear message to society that when a girl says no, it means no. A no means a no,” LiveLaw quoted Mehta as saying.
Tejpal told the court that he believed he had been politically targeted and indicated that he intended to appeal.
“I am 62. I believe I am a political victim. I am a father of two daughters. I have a wife. All we can say is we will go up and appeal,” legal website Bar and Bench quoted him as saying.
The High Court found Tejpal guilty under several provisions, including Section 376(2)(f), which covers rape involving a person in a position of trust or authority towards a woman.
Tejpal co-founded Tehelka in 2000, and the magazine became known for investigative journalism and undercover reporting.
Among its most notable investigations was Operation West End, in which journalists posed as arms dealers and secretly recorded senior military officials, bureaucrats and political figures allegedly accepting bribes in connection with a fictitious arms deal.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
