- Supreme Court directed Tarun Tejpal to surrender within two weeks in rape case
- Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal, sentencing him to 10 years in prison
- The 63-year-old former journalist has challenged the High Court order, claiming he is a victim
First, surrender, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed rape convict and former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal, adding he must do so within two weeks.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on August 6 convicted Tejpal and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a former colleague in 2013, overturning his 2021 acquittal in the case.
The 63-year-old former journalist has challenged the High Court order, claiming he is a victim.
The Goa government has also approached the top court seeking enhancement of the sentence for Tejpal in the case.
On Tuesday, arguments were heard in the top court between the Goa government and Tarun Tejpal regarding the case.
Under Supreme Court rules, one is required to surrender before challenging a conviction order. A surrender certificate must be submitted, say rules.
Alternatively, an application seeking exemption from surrender can be filed along with the appeal.
During the hearing, Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, stated that Tejpal's appeal could only be heard if he first filed a surrender certificate.
Alternatively, he would have to seek an exemption from surrender from the Supreme Court, Mehta said, spotlighting the gravity of the case.
Opposing this, Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, argued that the Bombay High Court had already stayed Tejpal's conviction.
Therefore, asking him to surrender again would not be appropriate, he said.
Sibal stated that if the Supreme Court held the view that Tejpal should not be granted relief, he was prepared to go into custody.
The Case
The case pertains to allegations made by a female journalist who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8, during an official event in Panaji in 2013. Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013, on those charges.
On September 29, 2017, he was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. However, he pleaded not guilty.
In May 2021, the Goa Sessions Court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, seeking to set aside the trial court's judgment.
