Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, has challenged his conviction for rape and sexual harassment at the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court overturned an acquittal verdict from a sessions court in May 2021.
On August 6, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court convicted Tarun Tejpal under provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to rape by a person holding trust or authority, rape by a person who is in a position of control or dominance over a woman, sexual harassment, and criminal force against a woman with an intent to disrobe her.
Tejpal was accused of raping a junior colleague in an elevator in 2013. He was arrested in November 2013 and granted bail by the Supreme Court in July 2014 after spending seven months in jail.
In May 2021, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi acquitted Tejpal due to the absence of corroborative evidence. The judge also remarked that the complainant did not show 'the kind of normative behavior' expected from her.
During the hearing in the High Court, the state alleged that the trial court’s verdict was prejudiced and contended that it had wrongly focused on the complainant’s character and post-incident behavior instead of the conduct of the accused. The counsel representing Tejpal argued that the complainant's account was inconsistent with evidence such as security camera footage and how the elevator worked.
Separately, the Goa government has also moved the Supreme Court seeking life imprisonment for Tarun Tejpal instead of the 10-year sentence.
Source:
Scroll.in
