# Bombay High Court convicts Tarun Tejpal, sentencing still pending 2026-08-06T07:19:26+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk The Bombay High Court's Goa bench convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal on charges including rape under section 376(2)(f), sexual harassment and criminal force, setting aside a 2021 trial-court acquittal, NDTV Profit reported. The case concerns the alleged assault of a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator during the ThinkFest event in Goa in November 2013. A bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar said it would rule on sentencing separately. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the state, urged the maximum punishment, telling the court a clear message was needed that a woman's refusal must be respected. Tejpal, 62, asked the court for leniency citing his age and family circumstances, said he considers himself a victim, and indicated he would appeal. His counsel said no prior complaint had been filed against him. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The conviction itself, overturning the 2021 acquittal, is the settled fact, while the length of the sentence, which under section 376 can run from ten years to life imprisonment, remains open. Tejpal's court-room statements about his age, family and self-described victimhood, and his counsel's point that no prior complaint exists against him, are submissions made in his defence rather than findings the court has ruled on. The bench said it would pronounce the sentencing order separately, and that order is still to come. ## Coverage - www.ndtvprofit.com Tags: Tarun Tejpal Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/i-am-62-i-believe-i-am-victim-what-tarun-tejpal-told-court-as-state-seeks-max-punishment/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/i-am-62-i-believe-i-am-victim-what-tarun-tejpal-told-court-as-state-seeks-max-punishment/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.