Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has approached the Supreme Court challenging his conviction and 10-year prison sentence in the 2013 sexual assault case involving a junior colleague. His move comes two days after the Goa government asked the top court to increase his sentence to life imprisonment.
Tejpal’s petition challenges the August 6 judgment of the Bombay High Court at Goa, which overturned his 2021 acquittal by the trial court and convicted him on two counts of aggravated rape. He is also challenging the 10-year sentence imposed by the High Court.
Tejpal has consistently denied the allegations and, in his appeal, has questioned the circumstances surrounding the complaint and the prosecution’s case. His plea also raises concerns about the circumstances in which the allegations emerged and alleges that political and institutional pressures played a role in the case.
The appeal is expected to be mentioned for urgent listing as Tejpal is required to surrender in the first week of September following the High Court’s direction.
The case dates back to November 2013, when the alleged incidents took place during the Tehelka THiNK festival in Goa. According to the prosecution case accepted by the High Court, Tejpal allegedly sexually assaulted a junior female colleague in a hotel lift on November 7 and again the following day.
The High Court found that Tejpal held a position of “dominance, control, trust and authority” over the woman as her employer and mentor. It rejected the trial court’s approach to assessing the survivor’s conduct and held that the earlier acquittal was based on an unreasonable assessment of the evidence.
The High Court sentenced Tejpal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a ₹5 lakh fine for each of the two aggravated rape offences. It also imposed separate sentences for other offences, including sexual harassment, assault with intent to disrobe and wrongful confinement. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, making the effective prison term 10 years.
Meanwhile, the Goa government has appealed against the sentence, arguing that it is inadequate considering the gravity of the offences. The state has not challenged Tejpal’s conviction but has sought an increase in the punishment to life imprisonment.
The government has also challenged the decision to run the sentences concurrently, arguing that the alleged assaults occurred on two successive days and represented separate acts of criminality.
The state has cited Tejpal’s position of authority over the complainant and the repeated nature of the alleged offences as aggravating circumstances. It has also argued that the nearly 13-year delay since the alleged incidents should not be treated as a mitigating factor, particularly as the delay was not attributable to the survivor.
The Supreme Court could now be called upon to consider both sides of the case, with Tejpal seeking to overturn his conviction and the Goa government seeking a longer sentence.
