Now Reading: Tarun Tejpal’s daughter rejects complainant’s ‘father figure’ claim
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Tarun Tejpal’s daughter rejects complainant’s ‘father figure’ claim
Cara Tejpal, daughter of former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, has dismissed as an "absolute untruth" the claim that the complainant in the rape case against her father was a childhood friend who…
The Story in Brief
Cara Tejpal, daughter of former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, has dismissed as an "absolute untruth" the claim that the complainant in the rape case against her father was a childhood friend who regarded him as a "father figure". In a statement, she said she had not known of the complainant's existence until adulthood, and that her father and the complainant's father had only worked briefly in the same office in the 1990s.
The statement follows the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court setting aside Tejpal's 2021 acquittal and sentencing him to ten years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a junior journalist at a hotel in 2013. Tejpal has said he will challenge the conviction in the Supreme Court. India Today reports Cara asserted that the "father figure" characterisation was already tested and rejected during the trial before the Sessions Court in Mapusa.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that the complainant saw Tejpal as a father figure may now face fresh scrutiny in the Supreme Court. But this detail, however disputed, does not alter the core of the case: two courts have examined the same evidence and reached opposite verdicts. The High Court gave a detailed 500-page judgment. The public deserves to see that reasoning upheld or overturned by the apex court. Tejpal's appeal will settle whether the conviction stands.
Sources (2): ndtv.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
