The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the State of Goa on a plea by former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal challenging his conviction in a 2013 rape case.
A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale sought the state's response to the appeal filed by Tejpal against a Bombay High Court verdict convicting him and sentencing him to 10 years in jail.
Pertinently, the bench also issued notice to Tejpal on an appeal filed by the State seeking enhancement of punishment from 10 years to life imprisonment.
"Issue notice in both matters," the court directed.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, requested that the Court should refrain from issuing notice on State's appeal. He also prayed for a fixing a date for hearing Tejpal's bail plea.
"Even the High Court suspended the sentence itself. Please fix a date for the bail as early as possible," Sibal said.
"We will give a date. No problem," the Bench replied.
The case against Tejpal involves allegations that he sexually assaulted a junior colleague twice in 2013, in an elevator of a high-end hotel in Goa. The Goa Police subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Tejpal for various offences, including rape.
He was arrested in November 2013 and later released on bail in July 2014.
The trial against Tejpal commenced in 2017 and lasted for 4 years. In May 2021, the trial court acquitted Tejpal.
The High Court reversed the trial court acquittal on August 6 this year and convicted Tejpal for rape. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of over ₹10 lakh.
Tejpal has challenged this ruling before the Supreme Court.
Notably, on a request by Tejpal, the High Court, in its August 6 verdict, had granted him four weeks to surrender before the jail authorities, although it rejected his plea to stay the conviction.
Tejpal later surrendered and is currently in jail.
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