The Bombay High Court’s Goa bench has convicted Tehelka magazine founder Tarun Tejpal for raping a female employee during the publication’s 2013 Thinkfest event.
The court set aside the 2021 trial court judgment that had acquitted him.
The division bench of Justices Dr Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar held Tejpal guilty under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) of the IPC, which pertain to rape by a person in a position of trust or authority, along with Sections 354A and 354B for sexual harassment and assault with intent to disrobe.
The case stems from an incident in November 2013, when a Tehelka employee accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her in an elevator at a Goa resort during the magazine’s annual event.
After the verdict, Tejpal, now 62, pleaded for leniency, saying, “I am a victim. Please be lenient with me.” His counsel, Aabad Ponda, sought an eight-week stay on the order to allow time to appeal before the Supreme Court.
The quantum of punishment will be announced at 2.30 PM, marking a decisive moment in one of India’s most closely watched cases involving sexual assault and workplace misconduct.