Tarun Tejpal moves Supreme Court challenging conviction in 2013 rape case

Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court's recent decision to convict him in the 2013 rape case.

The petition challenging the conviction and sentence of ten years was filed on Thursday morning and is likely to be mentioned for an urgent hearing since he is required to surrender in the first week of September.

On August 6, the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court had reversed a trial court's acquittal of Tejpal who was accused of sexually assaulting his colleague in 2013.

Earlier, Goa government also moved the Supreme Court seeking enhancement of Tejpal's sentence to life imprisonment instead of the sentence of ten years. The plea by the State clarified that the State does not want to reopen or challenge findings of conviction recorded by the High Court.

The case dates back to 2013, when Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague 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 trial judge reasoned that the investigating officer who probed the rape case committed several omissions and the prosecution failed to produce crucial evidence including CCTV footage in her judgment.

The State then challenged the acquittal before the High Court.

The High Court reversed the trial court acquittal on August 6 this year and convicted Tejpal. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of over ₹10 lakh.