2013 Sexual Assault Case: Will Change Conviction in Supreme Court, Says Tejpal

Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal on Thursday said he would move the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court's judgment convicting him in a 2013 sexual assault case, asserting that the order was "wrong".

In a major setback to Tejpal, the Bombay High Court's Goa bench convicted him for raping a colleague in 2013, setting aside his acquittal by a Goa sessions court five years ago.

While Tejpal pleaded for leniency, claiming he was a "political victim" and the father of two daughters, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, demanded the maximum punishment to send a strong message that "no means no".

Talking to reporters outside the high court after the verdict, Tejpal said, "We will be appealing against this order. We feel the order is wrong. We will be moving to the Supreme Court against the order." Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the HC's Goa bench said they would pronounce their order on sentencing in the afternoon.

Tejpal has been convicted under sections 376 (2)(f) (person who is a guardian or in a position of trust or authority rapes a woman), 354 (a) (sexual harassment) and 354 (b) (using criminal force on a woman with an intent to disrobe her) of the Indian Penal Code.

Under section 376, he faces a minimum punishment of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

The case relates to allegations by a former junior colleague that the veteran journalist sexually assaulted her inside a hotel elevator during the ThinkFest event in Goa in November 2013.

After he was acquitted by the trial court in 2021, the Goa government challenged the verdict in HC.