Now Reading: Supreme Court orders Tarun Tejpal to surrender within three weeks
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Supreme Court orders Tarun Tejpal to surrender within three weeks
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to surrender within three weeks before his appeal against a 10-year rape conviction can be heard. Justice Alok Aradhe rejected Tejpal's…
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to surrender within three weeks before his appeal against a 10-year rape conviction can be heard. Justice Alok Aradhe rejected Tejpal's plea for exemption from surrendering and asked him to file a surrender certificate. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, requested and was granted three weeks to comply.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) of the Indian Penal Code for sexually assaulting a junior colleague during Tehelka's THiNK Fest at the Grand Hyatt in Goa in November 2013. The high court found the victim's testimony consistent and credible. The Goa government opposed Tejpal's exemption plea, arguing his appeal was not procedurally admissible as he had not filed a separate surrender application or shown a surrender certificate under Supreme Court Rules, 2013.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Supreme Court Rules, 2013 require a convicted person to surrender before their appeal can be heard, a procedural condition meant to enforce compliance with the trial court's verdict. Tarun Tejpal now faces the consequence of a 10-year sentence for rape under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) of the Indian Penal Code, which apply to custodial rape and rape by a person in authority. The conviction by the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court relied on the consistency of the survivor's testimony over nearly a decade of legal proceedings. The case at the Grand Hyatt in November 2013 became a flashpoint for India's MeToo movement, with Tejpal heading an influential media outlet at the time. The Supreme Court will hear his appeal on merits only after he files a surrender certificate, which must happen within three weeks as ordered by Justice Alok Aradhe.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
