Panaji: Tarun Tejpal, the founder-editor of Tehelka magazine, was acquitted of rape charges by the District and Sessions Court at Mapusa in...
Panaji: Tarun Tejpal, the founder-editor of Tehelka magazine, was acquitted of rape charges by the District and Sessions Court at Mapusa in North Goa on Friday. Tejpal had been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a female colleague inside the elevator of a five-star resort in Goa in 2013.
Thanking the court, in a statement read out by his daughter Cara, Tejpal
said, "It is with profound respect that I thank this court for its
rigorous, impartial and fair trial and for its thorough examination of the CCTV
footage and other empirical material on record. In November 2013, I was accused
of sexual assault by a colleague. Today, the sessions court acquitted me. In
all these years, several lawyers came to our aid and we owe them all a
debt."
The Tehelka allegations broke out when a series of emails in which the
woman complained to her seniors at Tehelka and their response were leaked. Tejpal
stepped down as Tehelka editor, saying he was "recusing" himself for
six months. He was arrested in November 2013. He was out on bail since May
2014.
In 2017, the trial court charged him with rape, sexual harassment, and
wrongful confinement. Tejpal challenged the charges in the Supreme Court, which
had ordered the trial in Goa to continue. In a 2,684-page chargesheet
filed before the Goa fast-track court, the police had said there was enough
evidence against him.
The additional district court was to pronounce the verdict on April 27, but it adjourned the verdict to May 12. It was postponed again till May 19. On May 21 Tejpal walked free after eight years.
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