"Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam Are In Jail, I'm Also One Of Them": Tarun Tejpal

With his thick framed black glasses perched on top of his bald pate, Tarun Tejpal, once a celebrated journalist who edited the even more celebrated magazine Tehelka, ran into a group of reporters shortly after the court convicted him of raping a junior colleague in 2013, and declared that he should have been acquitted 10 times over.

"They are after me with sentiment of revenge for the last 13 years. I have full faith in the judiciary that there will be judges who will see the truth. We will present the evidence in public. There is so much evidence that I should have been acquitted 10 times over," he told the reporters right after he was convicted.

Around mid-afternoon, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court sentenced him to 10 years in jail. Tejpal has asked for eight weeks to surrender.

The court highlighted that Tejpal was the Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka while the complainant was a junior journalist, giving him significant professional authority over her. 

Tejpal, while speaking to reporters, cited the case of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are in jail in the 2020 Delhi riots case, saying he is also "one of them", appearing to suggest that he has been framed in a false case.

"We will surely approach the Supreme Court. They are after me due to political vendetta and work done by Tehelka. We fought the case for 7.5 years in the trial court and got acquittal. Those with them are acquitted, but they are after those who wrote against them. Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam are in jail for last so many years. Surendra Gadling, arrested in connection with Bhima Koregaon case, is in jail. I am also one of them. Tehelka's reportage might have caused some political damage or harmed their vested interests,"Tejpal said.

#WATCH | Goa | After being convicted in 2013 sexual assault case, Tehelka magazine Founder Tarun Tejpal says, "We will surely approach the Supreme Court. They are after me due to political vendetta and work done by Tehelka. We fought the case for 7.5 years in the trial court and… pic.twitter.com/9A2u9wnCQD

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2026

In 2001, Tehelka carried out a sting investigation named Operation West End, in which some of its journalists posed as arms dealers, secretly filming senior army officials, bureaucrats and even the president of the then ruling BJP taking bribes to push through a fake deal.

Earlier today in court, Tejpal, now 62, said he believes "he is a victim" and asked for leniency.

"I am 62 and I believe I am a victim. I have a wife and that's not much else to say. All that I can say is we can go and appeal. Please be lenient for me. Rest all facts are placed on record," Tejpal said to the court.

The survivor, whose identity has not been revealed in accordance with the law, said Tejpal had assaulted her twice in the hotel elevator on the sidelines of ThinkFest, an annual event sponsored by the magazine, on November 7 and 8 in 2013. Tejpal was arrested on November 30 the same year.

Tejpal initially expressed remorse about the incident, saying it had resulted from "an awful misreading of the situation." But after the charges were filed, he said he was the victim of a "political vendetta."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa state, argued that Tejpal "could not take a no for a no", urging the court to grant maximum punishment to Tejpal.

It's a huge weight off her chest, the survivor's mother told NDTV, after the court found Tarun Tejpal guilty.

"The final verdict has lifted a heavy weight from my heart. It was painful long years and took a lot of strength to keep going," the survivor's mother said.

"I could only thank the Goa government and their lawyers who believed and fought for justice," she added.