New Delhi: Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has been given two weeks to surrender after the Supreme Court refused to exempt him from surrendering in the long running 2013 Goa sexual assault case.
The Supreme Court’s latest order does not settle Tejpal’s appeal against his conviction. Instead, he will have to surrender before his challenge to the Bombay High Court verdict moves ahead. His appeal is expected to come up for hearing on September 22, provided he submits the required surrender certificate.
The case has been going on for more than a decade and has seen several major legal twists.
On August 6, the Bombay High Court overturned Tejpal’s acquittal by a Goa trial court and convicted him in the case. The High Court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Tejpal has challenged that judgment in the Supreme Court. His legal team has argued against both the conviction and the sentence and is seeking relief from the High Court order.
The Goa government, however, is asking for a tougher punishment. It has approached the Supreme Court seeking enhancement of the sentence, including life imprisonment.
The case goes back to November 2013, when a former colleague of Tejpal accused him of sexually assaulting her in a lift at a hotel in Goa during the THiNK festival. Tejpal was arrested later that month and was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court.
After a lengthy trial, a Goa sessions court acquitted him in May 2021. The trial court’s decision was later challenged, leading to the Bombay High Court taking up the matter.
The High Court eventually reversed the acquittal this month and found Tejpal guilty. It also directed payment of compensation to the survivor.
Tejpal’s case is now back before the Supreme Court, where both sides are seeking different outcomes. While Tejpal wants his conviction overturned, the Goa government wants the punishment increased.
For now, the immediate deadline is clear Tejpal has two weeks to surrender. His legal battle, however, is far from over. The Supreme Court’s upcoming hearing will be the next major step in deciding whether his conviction and sentence will stand.
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