Now Reading: Bombay High Court Convicts Tarun Tejpal, Sentences Him to 10 Years
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Bombay High Court Convicts Tarun Tejpal, Sentences Him to 10 Years
The Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. The Goa bench overturned his 2021 acquittal by…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. The Goa bench overturned his 2021 acquittal by the Mapusa trial court, calling that verdict “perverse”. It also imposed a fine of Rs 10.21 lakh, to be given entirely to the survivor. Tejpal, 62, plans to challenge the conviction in the Supreme Court. The court granted him four weeks to surrender.
In its 81-page judgment, Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar rejected the idea of a “perfect victim”. They said the survivor’s credibility had to be assessed on facts, not her behaviour, personal life or response to trauma. The bench found her testimony reliable and consistent, and criticised the defence for invasive cross-examination and the trial court for allowing her to be harassed and humiliated.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy claim that a survivor must appear visibly broken has no place in a courtroom. Equally, the verdict should not be treated as proof that every allegation is true without evidence. The high court says this case was supported by consistent testimony and other witnesses, while also addressing the power imbalance between an editor and junior colleague. The next concrete test is whether the Supreme Court upholds the conviction and the Rs 10.21 lakh compensation.
Sources (3): rediff.com, rediff.com (2), telanganatoday.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
