New Delhi: The legal troubles of former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal have increased once again. After being sentenced by the Bombay High Court in the famous rape case of 2013, now the Supreme Court has given him a big blow. The apex court has given strict instructions to Tejpal to surrender within two weeks and submit the surrender certificate before the court. While hearing the case on August 25, Justice Alok Aradhe's bench made it clear that his appeal would be considered further only after the formal process of surrender is completed. The top court agreed with the arguments of the Solicitor General and rejected Tejpal's application.
Supreme Court's shock to Tarun Tejpal
Kapil Sibal, representing Tarun Tejpal, appealed for relief from the court. He argued that surrender should not be necessary till the appeal is heard and cited the four-week extension given by the Bombay High Court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, strongly opposed this demand. He said the appeal process cannot proceed without surrender or a formal application for exemption.
Instructions to surrender within 2 weeks
An important aspect in this legal battle is that the Goa government itself has approached the Supreme Court. The state government has filed a petition to increase Tejpal's sentence from 10 years to life imprisonment. However, the state government is not challenging his conviction but wants strict punishment considering the seriousness of the crime. Earlier on August 6, Justice Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamsandekar of the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court had overturned the acquittal decision of the lower court. The High Court had convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Considering the incident as 13 years old and keeping in mind Tejpal's subsequent conduct, the court had given only the minimum prescribed punishment.
Legal ups and downs from the 2013 hotel lift scandal
This entire controversy dates back to November 2013, when Tejpal was accused of sexually harassing one of his junior colleagues inside the lift during an event organized by Tehelka in a hotel in Goa. After his arrest, he remained in jail for seven months and later got bail from the Supreme Court. In 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted him of all charges, but the judgment was heavily criticized for his conduct and the controversial comments made on the photographs of the victim. After this the case reached the High Court, where he was convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to rape and sexual harassment. For Tarun Tejpal, who initially described the incident as merely a lapse in judgment, his legal avenues have now become extremely limited.