New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed journalist Tarun Tejpal to surrender within two weeks in the 2013 rape case in which the Bombay High Court has convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. A bench of Justice Alok Aradhe rejected Tejpal's plea seeking relief from surrender.
The bench has listed Tejpal's appeal against the sentence and conviction for hearing on September 22, though he will have to submit the surrender certificate first. On August 6, the Bombay High Court had sentenced former editor of news magazine 'Tehelka' Tarun Tejpal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after holding him guilty of raping a colleague in 2013.
The high court had set aside a five-year-old decision of a Goa sessions court acquitting Tejpal. The case pertains to the sexual harassment of a former junior female colleague of Tejpal in a hotel lift during the 'Thinkfest' event held in Goa in November 2013.
The trial court had acquitted Tejpal in the case in 2021, against which the Goa government had filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, said during the hearing on Tuesday that the alleged incident took place in 2013 and his client had already spent about six months in jail in this case.
Sibal said, “He (Tejpal) has been on bail since then. The High Court has directed him to surrender within four weeks. This court can fix August 31 for hearing on the main appeal.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, said that the High Court has given four weeks' time to Tejpal to surrender so that he can file an application in the apex court seeking exemption from surrender.
He said, “It is necessary to consider the merits of this case. This is a serious case of rape, in which 10 years' imprisonment has been awarded.” Opposing Mehta's arguments, Sibal said, “This is not a case of rape at all.” The bench asked, “How much time do you (Tejpal) need to surrender.” Sibal said that Tejpal should be given two weeks' time to surrender. Also requested to hear the appeal as soon as possible.
Tejpal's petition was placed in the list of 'Chamber Cases'. In such cases, a hearing is held for preliminary or procedural directions and then they are listed before the regular bench. Dismissing Tejpal's plea, the bench said, “If the surrender certificate is submitted on or before September 22, the registry is directed to list the case on September 22.”
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