Tarun Tejpal Begins 10-Year Sentence for Sexual Assault Conviction
Tejpal Surrenders to Serve Sentence
Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tejpal surrenders before a court to serve his 10-year jail term, on Monday. (Photo:PTI)
Panaji, Sep 14: Tarun Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, has surrendered to a Goa court on Monday to commence his 10-year rigorous imprisonment following a conviction in a sexual assault case from 2013.
Tejpal presented himself at the Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa, after which he was taken to Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa to start his sentence.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for his appeal against the conviction and sentence on September 22, contingent upon the submission of the surrender certificate.
"If the surrender certificate is submitted by September 21, 2026, the registry will arrange for the criminal appeal to be heard on September 22, 2026, before the regular court," the court stated.
On August 25, the Supreme Court instructed Tejpal to surrender within three weeks to serve his 10-year sentence, following a conviction by the Bombay High Court.
A bench led by Justice Alok Aradhe dismissed Tejpal's request for exemption from surrendering.
On August 6, the Bombay High Court found Tejpal guilty of raping a junior colleague in a hotel elevator during a magazine event in Goa in November 2013, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and overturning a previous acquittal by the trial court five years earlier.
Tejpal was convicted under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 376(2)(f) (rape by a person in a position of trust), 354(a) (sexual harassment), and 354(b) (assault with intent to disrobe). The maximum penalty under Section 376(2)(f) can be life imprisonment.
The High Court also imposed a fine exceeding Rs 10 lakh, directing that the amount be paid to the victim.
Tejpal was initially arrested in November 2013 and spent several weeks in custody before being granted bail.
The trial was held at the Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa, which acquitted Tejpal in May 2021, citing insufficient evidence from the prosecution.
The Goa government subsequently appealed the acquittal in the Bombay High Court, arguing that the trial court misinterpreted the evidence.
After extensive hearings, the High Court overturned the acquittal on August 6, supporting the state's appeal and emphasizing the credibility of the victim's testimony, along with other evidence such as CCTV footage and emails exchanged post-incident.
The High Court criticized the trial court's treatment of the complainant, asserting that a sexual assault survivor should not be expected to conform to stereotypes of an "ideal victim."
It also dismissed Tejpal's defense that the allegations were part of a plot for extortion or character defamation, noting his authoritative position over the victim was significant to the case.
On August 20, Tejpal approached the Supreme Court to contest the High Court's ruling against him.
Previously, the Goa government had petitioned the Supreme Court for a harsher sentence for Tejpal, arguing that the nature of the crime warranted life imprisonment.
In its appeal, the Goa government claimed that the sentence given by the High Court was grossly inadequate considering the severity of Tejpal's offenses.